Folkestone Gardens is a small urban park located in Deptford, south east London. Now part of the

London Borough of Lewisham Lewisham () is a London borough in south-east London; it forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham. The local authority is Lewisham London Borough Council, based in Catford. The Prime Meridian passes throug ...

, it was created during the 1970s on an area badly damaged by bombs in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The park was named after a street of railwaymen's houses that once stood on part of the site. The nearest bus stop is at Surrey Canal Road opposite the park. The closest Transport for London stations are at

Surrey Quays Surrey Quays is a largely residential area of Rotherhithe in south-east London, occupied until 1970 by the Surrey Commercial Docks. Previously known as Surrey Docks, the area was renamed following the construction of the Surrey Quays shopping ce ...

Canada Water Canada Water is an area of the Docklands in south-east London. It is named after a freshwater lake and wildlife refuge. Canada Water tube, Overground and bus station is immediately north of the lake, along with Canada Water Library which ov ...

and New Cross. Folkestone Gardens is within of the Surrey Canal regeneration site.

History of the site

Folkestone Gardens is a man-made urban park on a plot of land that was formerly high-density housing. On 7 March 1945, the area was badly damaged by a

V-2 rocket The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed ...

, resulting in the loss of over 50 lives. In the late 1960s and early '70s, the area was cleared and the park was subsequently laid out over part of Folkestone Gardens and also Oareboro Road, an L-shaped street of

terraced house In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...

Geography and layout

The park is on a narrow plot of around . It is adjacent to Trundleys Road on the western side and Rolt Street to the south. To the north it incorporates an area that was formerly the

Grand Surrey Canal The Grand Surrey Canal was a canal constructed in south London, England during the early 19th century. It opened to the Old Kent Road in 1807, to Camberwell in 1810, and to Peckham in 1826. Its main purpose was to transport cargo, primarily timb ...

. Railway lines border the northern and eastern boundaries of Folkestone Gardens. These include a viaduct of what was the London and Greenwich Railway, the first railway in London built specifically for passengers, and the first to be elevated. To the other side of the railway lines, and approximately away, is the much larger

Deptford Park Deptford Park is a public park in Deptford south-east London. It is owned by London Borough of Lewisham. The closest local stations are Deptford and Surrey Quays. History of the park Deptford Park was originally a market garden belonging to the ...

. The undulating site is landscaped and includes walkways, woodland areas and a large pond on the north-western side. The pond has an island with a large

weeping willow ''Salix babylonica'' (Babylon willow or weeping willow; ) is a species of willow native to dry areas of northern China, but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in Asia, being traded along the Silk Road to southwest Asia and Europe.Flora of China'' ...

and pond-side plants, some of which were taken from surplus stock at Blackheath's's Hare and Billet pond during restoration in 1994. Other tree specimens include Lombardy poplars and a group of sycamores. The park supports a diverse range of flora and fauna for its size and location. The Quietway 1 cycle route runs through the park.

Facilities

Facilities include a children's play area, a ball court, and a new, concrete skate park. The skate park was the source of local controversy, with the Council allocating funding for the skatepark, but not the play area, despite the consultation documentation outlining that the development was to incorporate regeneration of both. A number of safety concerns with the skatepark continue to exist, such as the open pathway directly from the skate area out to the main road (as of April 2016, this has been temporarily secured with a plastic fence). A new restaurant and wine bar is now open within the park.

References

{{reflist

External links

Lewisham borough: details of parks
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Lewisham Deptford Redevelopment projects in London