Mayfield Park, Southampton

Mayfield Park is a recreational area straddling Woolston and Weston in Southampton, England. The stream that runs through the park is the boundary between the two districts of modern Southampton.The park is owned and maintained by Southampton City Council. It was previously part of the Chamberlayne family's Weston Grove estate. Much of the rest of the Weston Grove estate has been used to develop the post-war suburb of Weston. Mayfield Park survives because it was split from the Weston Grove estate in the nineteenth century, becoming the Mayfield Estate.History18th century: wood-working millThe park straddles a stream which runs from nearby Millers pond, through a valley within the park, naturally draining the higher ground of the Hampshire Basin on the East of Southampton into Southampton Water. In 1762, Walter Taylor built a water-powered wood-working mill alongside this stream. Millers pond was formed to provide a reservoir to supply this mill.The mill site was rebuilt as a private house in the 19th century, but this suffered bomb damage during World War II and was abandoned. The site has subsequently been excavated by Southampton City Council's Archeological Unit.