The park was opened as a Country Park in 1988, but the land had been partly owned by the Tonbridge Council and had been used by the public long before then.
It is still managed by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.

Leading off the River Medway is the Straight Mile, which was dug in 1830.
James Christie intended this to be a canal leading to Tonbridge Water Mill, but it was never filled with water.
The Stone Lock, built in 1829 (also by James Christie) at Haysden, remains largely intact.
It leads towards Haysden Water (and continues on the other side of Haysden Water, outside the park).
The lock was intended for transferring barges between the level of the Straight Mile and the higher level of the River Medway.

Another section of the park is The Shallows, a winding stream leading off the River Medway, with various gravel beds for crossing the river.
It was at one stage part of the River Medway, with meanders which were sometimes shallow and therefore difficult to navigate with large boats.
Since the river was used by canal craft, a navigable diversion was constructed around this section.
The Shallows then became a quiet backwater stream which is gradually developing into marshland.

Barden Lake was created when sand and gravel were extracted from the land between 1974 and 1980.
Dragline excavators were used to dig the material out.
The Lake is approximately 3.6 metres (12 feet) deep.

A World War II pillbox can be found in the hedgerow along the riverbank.
This pillbox and others along the River Medway formed part of the Ironside Line.
On 27 May 1944, Prime Minister Winston Churchill put General Sir Edmund Ironside in charge of creating a first line of defence against German invasion forces.

A project to name the 14 bridges that are included in the park was announced on 24 November 2008 at the Tonbridge Forum; names had been decided.
As at 2015, this work appears to be complete.
The park was opened as a Country Park in 1988, but the land had been partly owned by the Tonbridge Council and had been used by the public long before then. It is still managed by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.
Leading off the River Medway is the Straight Mile, which was dug in 1830. James Christie intended this to be a canal leading to Tonbridge Water Mill, but it was never filled with water. The Stone Lock, built in 1829 (also by James Christie) at Haysden, remains largely intact. It leads towards Haysden Water (and continues on the other side of Haysden Water, outside the park). The lock was intended for transferring barges between the level of the Straight Mile and the higher level of the River Medway.
Another section of the park is The Shallows, a winding stream leading off the River Medway, with various gravel beds for crossing the river. It was at one stage part of the River Medway, with meanders which were sometimes shallow and therefore difficult to navigate with large boats. Since the river was used by canal craft, a navigable diversion was constructed around this section. The Shallows then became a quiet backwater stream which is gradually developing into marshland.
Barden Lake was created when sand and gravel were extracted from the land between 1974 and 1980. Dragline excavators were used to dig the material out. The Lake is approximately 3.6 metres (12 feet) deep.
A World War II pillbox can be found in the hedgerow along the riverbank. This pillbox and others along the River Medway formed part of the Ironside Line. On 27 May 1944, Prime Minister Winston Churchill put General Sir Edmund Ironside in charge of creating a first line of defence against German invasion forces.
A project to name the 14 bridges that are included in the park was announced on 24 November 2008 at the Tonbridge Forum; names had been decided. As at 2015, this work appears to be complete.
Haysden Country Park