Before 1880 the area was mainly farmland. The area was originally made up of several fields:- Castle Field Meadows, Lower Priory Holme, Middle Priory Field and Bridge Meadows.[2] Castle Field was probably the main site of the battle in 1233 between the supporters of Henry III, King of England, and those of Richard, the Earl of Pembroke and Lord Marshal.[3] In the late eighteenth century, part of the area was laid out as pleasure grounds by Mr Tibbs, landlord of the Beaufort Arms Hotel, and became known as Vauxhall after Vauxhall Gardens in London.[4]