[3][4] Rectory Field is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Greenwich town centre, around 400 metres (0.25 mi) north-east of the Sun in the Sands roundabout, the junction of the main A2 and A102.

[5] Located slightly away from the centre of Blackheath, Rectory Field is situated east of Greenwich Park.

Blackheath Football Club played on the Heath from 1871, but as the popularity of the sport grew, games began attracting crowds.

After a match with Richmond was abandoned in 1877 due to a pitch invasion the club adopted a proper, demarked ground.

This pitch become known as Richardson's Field, and this playing ground hosted several internationals, including the first rugby match between England and Wales in 1881.

With several sports now using the ground, the Blackheath Cricket, Football and Lawn Tennis Company was formed to provide amenities for the players.

On 2 January 1886, Rectory Field hosted its first international rugby union match, with England facing Wales as part of the 1886 Home Nations Championship.

[7] England continued to use three sites for international rugby, Rectory Field, the Athletic Ground in Richmond and Whalley Range in Manchester, but after 1900, only the two London locations were used.

Directly after the World War II Richmond and Blackheath merged for a season, and several other teams were allowed the use of the grounds, including London Irish.

Blythe, who had grown up in nearby Deptford, went on to become one of the leading bowlers of the period before the First World War, playing 381 times for Kent and making 19 Test match appearances for England.

[2][20] The club operates ten league sides and a youth section, playing at the Rectory Field and at other grounds in the area.