Little Dorrit's Playground, named after

Little Dorrit ''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London. Arthur Cl ...

, the eponymous

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

character, is a public

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

and small

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

just north of

Marshalsea Road Marshalsea Road (classified A3201) is a major street in Southwark, south London, England. At the northwest end is the Southwark Bridge Road. At the southeast end is Borough tube station on Borough High Street. Continuing across the street are ...

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, south London, England.

History

The site was previously called Falcon Court, "a horrible rookery of tumble-down, dirty hovels."
A Walk through Southwark
'',

London Parks & Gardens Trust The London Gardens Trust (formally, London Historic Parks & Gardens Trust) is a charity based in London, England. It is an independent charity and one of the county garden trusts operating under the Gardens Trust. The Trust aims to increase kno ...

. In 1902, a small public open space called Little Dorrit's Playground was opened north of Marshalsea Road.London County Council. Parks Committee,
Ceremony of opening Little Dorrit's playground, Southwark, on … 25th January, 1902
', 1902. The surrounding area has many Dickensian associations. Charles Dickens himself had lodgings in

Lant Street Lant Street is a street south of Marshalsea Road in Southwark, south London, England.Lant Street Association ...

to the south of Marsalsea Road as a child when his father is in the

Marshalsea The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in Southwark, just south of the River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners, including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with sedition, it became known, in ...

debtors' prison nearby in 1824. This had a profound effect on the young Dickens and his later novel ''Little Dorrit'' is based around the area and the prison. The character Little Dorrit was baptised and married in the local church, St George the Martyr, at the southeast end of Marshalsea Road close to the playground. Much of the area became derelict as a result of air raid damage during

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 ...

. In 2001, the playground was improved through the effort of the Little Dorrit Park Group, set up by mothers in the area. The playground is supported by the Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST). North of Marshalsea Road, Little Dorrit's Court, also named after the Dickens character, can be found as well.

References

{{coord, 51.50213, N, 0.09357, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title, format=dms Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Southwark 1902 establishments in England Playgrounds Charles Dickens