It's one of the most enduring songs of the 1960s. But where exactly is Itchycoo Park?
Over bridge of sighs
To rest my eyes in shades of green
Under dreaming spires
To Itchycoo Park, that's where I've been
The opening verse of the Small Faces' 1967 hit suggests an Oxford setting. Both the Bridge of Sighs and the dreaming spires are phrases well-associated with the university town.
Ronnie Wood, who wrote those lyrics, had indeed been inspired by the city, but only after reading about it on a leaflet. He and other Small Faces founder Steve Marriott were from working-class East End stock (almost stereotypically so; Marriott's dad owned a jellied-eel stall and played pub piano). The Cockney tones and down-to-earth lyrics don't exactly smack of punting on the Isis.
The Itchycoo Park of the title, then, has long been associated with the East End, and particularly the areas around Ilford, Manor Park and East Ham, where the song-writing duo grew up.
Its exact location is open to debate. The band offered various, contradictory solutions over the years. A leading contender is Valentine's Park in Ilford. "We used to go there and get stung by wasps," revealed Marriott in an interview that's quoted all over the internet without ever including a citation. "It's what we used to call it." The story was seemingly confirmed by Tony 'Baldrick and Time Team' Robinson, who was a childhood friend of Marriott.
The story does seem a little suspect, however. Most of us would think of different adjectives to 'itchy' were we to be stung repeatedly by wasps. The song should have been called Effing-Hell Park, or something.
Another contender is Little Ilford Park about a mile to the south. This was closer to Marriott's childhood home, and supposedly full of nettles, hence the itchiness. Wanstead Flats also get occasional mention as another park-like space in the neighbourhood.
All of the above is undermined by an interview with the band's manager Tony Calder, quoted in Marriott's 2004 biography. Itchycoo Park was initially banned by the BBC for its blatant drug references ("We'll get hi-igh!"). To counter the ban, the band came up with a sweet story of childhood innocence:
We scammed the story together, we told the BBC that Itchycoo Park was a piece of waste ground in the East End that the band had played on as kids – we put the story out at ten and by lunchtime we were told the ban was off.
Nevertheless, various band members have maintained the "it was an Ilford park" association, leading to endless speculation, of which this present article is another example. Sorry.
One curve-ball contender is the churchyard of Christ Church Spitalfields. This was widely known, from the late 19th century — and right through the 20th century — as 'Itchy Park', on account of the large numbers of homeless people who would congregate in its grounds.
The churchyard has no known connection to Lane, Marriott or the wider band. However, it's possible they were aware of the nickname and subconsciously (or consciously) transformed it into 'Itchycoo' for the song.
In all probability, there never was one 'Itchycoo Park' that directly inspired the lyrics. Rather, Lane and Marriott likely wove in various words and memories. Creativity is rarely a linear, simple process.
A modern-day Itchycoo Park
Itchycoo Park did not exist in 1967, other than, perhaps, as a childhood nickname among a small group of friends. Fast forward to the 2020s, and east London does indeed have an Itchycoo Park, with semi-official sanction.
This small community-driven space was created a few years ago on land that was previously overgrown and poorly used (with a fair few itchy nettles, we dare say). You'll find it just north of Beckton Park in Newham if you follow the old railway track turned footpath known as Beckton Corridor. The Capital Ring leads straight to it.
This Itchycoo Park is formed around a small pond, where one might "feed the ducks with a bun" (mallards, Egyptian geese and rubber ducks on our visit).
Whether you decide to "miss out school", "get high" and "blow your mind" is your own business, but you might care to "reach the sky" by taking the cable car from North Greenwich to Royal Victoria, followed by a short ride on the DLR to Beckton Park station.
It's all moderately beautiful.
