Deptford Park is a public park in

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

south-east London Greater London is divided into five sub-regions for the purposes of the London Plan. The boundaries of these areas were amended in 2008 and 2011 and their role in the implementation of the London Plan has varied with each iteration. Purpose Sub- ...

. It is owned by

London Borough of Lewisham Lewisham () is a London boroughs, 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 Merid ...

. The closest local stations are

and

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 ...

History of the park

Deptford Park was originally a

market garden A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to ...

belonging to the estate of the Evelyn family. Located near the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, it was renowned for its onions, celery and asparagus. In 1884,

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

bought the land for the creation of a public park. It was designed by the chief parks officer Lt Col

JJ Sexby John James Sexby VD (known as JJ Sexby) (15 July 1847 – 10 May 1924) was a British civil servant who served as the first Chief Officer for Parks for the London County Council from 1892 to 1909, and was responsible for the creation of many of Lo ...

and opened to the public in 1897.

Park design and features

The park covers an area of and is accessed from Evelyn Street, with the entrance retaining traditional iron gates and railings and a small avenue of

London plane tree London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

s. The original structure of the park is largely intact, with a perimeter pathway lined with further mature London planes. Facilities include a football pitch and play area. Recent regeneration of the park has included installation of a new children’s playground and ‘The Avenue’, a redesigned entrance way leading to a formal paved area with seating. There is also now a small community orchard. In 2008, a steel sculpture, ''Blue Iridescence'', by the artist Heather Burrell, was installed in the park. In 2015, a consultation was announced to put in an astroturf pitch in the South West corner of the park. This would have replaced the existing football pitch, covered up the old athletics tracks and reduced the natural green space in this mid-sized park, with associated risks to local wildlife. A growing and increasingly vocal residents' community opposed the installation, and the Council listened to the residents by rejecting the application.

Other local green spaces

The south-west corner of the park is in close proximity to railway tracks, which separate it from the small 1970s park Folkestone Gardens, approximately away. In connection with the proposed development Neptune Wharf, there are plans in place to open up the connection between Deptford Park and Folkestone Gardens, with a pedestrian walkway and cycle path underneath one of the railway arches currently blocked up, enabling safe and easy access between these two much-used green spaces where there is today only a narrow pavement through a tunnel shared between pedestrians, cyclists and cars. Sayes Court Park, an historic garden also built on land belonging to the Evelyn family, is around away and provides access to the

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it only opened in 1996. The ...

. There is today no direct access from Deptford Park to the Thames Path, however Neptune Wharf developers are proposing to renovate parts of the path. Local community groups are supporting the increased use of the area to enable access between the different green spaces and the Thames Path, and working with the developers to enable a clear through route in future.

References

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External sources

Lewisham Council Masterplan for Deptford Park
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Lewisham Deptford