Parishes were empowered by the Public Health Act of 1875 to acquire and maintain land for public recreation and open spaces. This presumably encouraged Jonathan Rigg Esq to philanthropically gift a field that is now the Wrotham Recreation Ground to the Parish in 1882. It was covenanted such that it was for the enjoyment of local people and permanent buildings or the grazing of animals is forbidden.
In the late 1920s the Ministry of Roads was planning the route of a new road from London to Dover that is now the A20. They wanted to route the road through the top of the Recreation Ground and sought to compensate the Parish by purchasing and gifting additional land adjacent and easterly.
The Parish had sheep on this new land for a couple of years until the new road reached Wrotham around 1931. The navvies were taken off road building duties and set to flattening the new field until it was deemed suitable for the playing of cricket. Unfortunately they could not be persuaded to flatten the recreation ground as well, hence the football pitch having a distinct slope.
Wrotham Parish now benefits from an abundance of open spaces for the enjoyment of local people that includes the following:
- Cricket Ground
- Recreation Ground
- Burial Ground
- Children’s Play Area
- Skate Park
- Multi-Court