Place    From 19/6/1869 

Southwark Park

Categories: Gardens / Agriculture

The Park was created mainly from market gardens. More information at  Historic England. The opening day is variously given as 19 or 9.

An information board at each of the main entrances to the park gives the following information:

Southwark Park is Grade II listed, covers 26 hectares and opened to the public on the 19th June 1869. Its design was based on an original map, produced by the Superintendent Architect, Mr Vulliamy, and Alexander McKenzie. The original intention was for part of the park to be used as building plots, but the Vestry of Bermondsey opposed this.

In 1884 a bandstand which was acquired from the Great Exhibition {actually the International Exhibition of 1862} in South Kensington was placed in the Park.

By 1885 substantial changes to the layout had occurred including the addition of the lake. In 1908 the lake was enlarged and adapted for boating. The English Rose Garden replaced island bedding in 1934 and was commissioned by Dr Salter to create a peaceful retreat for people to relax. In 1942 it was renamed the Ada Salter Garden in memory of his wife. In 1872 the carriage drive was reduced in width when the building plans were eventually shelved. The original carriage drive leading from Jamaica Gate now divides the park.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Southwark Park

Commemorated ati

Bandstand - Southwark Park

Francis Fowke designed the buildings for the 1862 International Exhibition in...

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Southwark Park Act gates

{On each of the 4 gate leaves:} Southwark Park Act - 150 years {On the raili...

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World Wildlife Fund

World Wildlife Fund

Now known as the World Wide Fund for Nature. It is an international non-governmental organisation, working in wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human intervention on the environment. J...

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Manor of Hyde

Manor of Hyde

An area roughly equivalent to modern-day Hyde Park. It was owned by Westminster Abbey, and its woods afforded both fire-wood and shelter for the monks and for their game and water-fowl.

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1 memorial
Abney Park Cemetery Company

Abney Park Cemetery Company

Set up to run the Abney Park cemetery in Stoke Newington (see Abney House and Park), this company also ran the Chingford Mount cemetery. It went into administration in the 1970s. 

Group, Commerce, Gardens / Agriculture

1 memorial
Ecomemoria

Ecomemoria

"One tree for each memory, each memory for a new life, a life in each tree." From their website: "Ecomemoria is a project that merges ecology and memory to pay tribute to and celebrate the lives a...

Group, Gardens / Agriculture, History, Chile

1 memorial

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John Newlands

John Newlands

SE11, West Square, 19

J.A.R. Newlands, 1837 - 1898, chemist and discoverer of the periodic law for the chemical elements, was born and raised here. Royal Socie...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Jack Harvey, VC

Jack Harvey, VC

In WW1 Harvey was in the 1/22nd (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (The Queen's). On 2 September 1918 north of Peronne, France, when the advance of his company was held up by machine...

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial
Thomas Hearne

Thomas Hearne

W1, Meard Street, 6

Thomas Hearne, 1744 - 1817, water-colourist, lived here.

1 subject commemorated
Receiving House

Receiving House

In 1774 a group of London doctors, concerned at the number of people who were mistakenly being given up for dead, wanted to promote new techniques of resuscitation. They decided to concentrate on d...

Building, Medicine, Tragedy

1 memorial
Peter the Great

Peter the Great

Born in Moscow as Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov. He was created joint czar with his mentally disabled half-brother Ivan V, in 1682. In 1697 he set off for a tour of Europe, in which he amassed knowledg...

Person, Royalty, Seriously Famous, Russia

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