Potters Fields Park is a small public
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 ...
situated in the
London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council ...
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. The park is located immediately south-west of
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule, Suspension bridge, suspension, and, until 1960, Cantilever bridge, cantilever bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones ...
and immediately south-east of
City Hall, London. It is frequently used for food festivals and other events.
The name originates from the many potters who lived and worked in the area in the 17th and 18th centuries. The land has never been a
Potter's field
A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning ''field of blood'' in Aramaic), stated to have been pur ...
(a burial ground for the poor), although there were graveyards in the area.
History
The first named pottery in the Potters Fields Park records is Pickleherring Pottery. It was established in 1618 by Christian Wilhelm; in the 1670s and 1680s, at least two other potteries were established by other people in the same area.
On the 1682
William Morgan William Morgan may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* William De Morgan (1839–1917), pottery and tile designer in Britain
* William Morgan (director) (1899–1964), English film director and editor
* William Michael Morgan (born 1993), American ...
Map, the area is referred to as "Potts Fields"; the
St Olave's Parish Register shows 124 Potters operating in the area between 1618 and 1710. The number was down to 68 between 1710 and 1733.
The
Rocques Map of 1746 shows "Potters Fields" as a street name for the lane linking
Tooley Street
Tooley Street is a road in central London, central and south London, south London connecting London Bridge to St Saviour's Dock; it runs past Tower Bridge on the Southwark/Bermondsey side of the River Thames, and forms part of the A200 road. (. ...
to Pickleherring Street.
By 1772 pottery making had disappeared from the area.
In 1988
St Martin's Property Corporation and Southwark Council agreed on the name "London Bridge City Park", but local community groups protested and it finally opened as "Potters Fields Park".
References
External links
Potters Fields Park web site
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Southwark
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