Description
Previously a WWII bomb site, there were prefabs here until the building of the Elmington Estate began in 1956. In 1982 a nature garden was established here by Southwark Council, Friends of the Earth and London Wildlife Trust, but later fell into disrepair. It re-opened in June 2015 with landscaping designed by London Wildlife Trust, implemented by The Conservation Volunteers. In 2013 Froglife installed the pond with dipping platform. On the wall of the adjacent Brunswick Park School is the Pied Piper Mural by Willi Soukop from 1956 originally installed on the Elmington Estate but moved in May 2014. A Strawberry Tree has been planted in the garden in memory of the victims of the nearby Lakanal House fire in 2009. Designated a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation there are a number of habitat areas including: a pond with dipping platform, native hedgerow, wildflower meadow, mini beast zone, sensory and ornamental beds.
Practical Information
| Site location | Benhill Road/ Bantry Street, Camberwell |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE5 7QS |
| What3Words | ///liver.looked.teams |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Oval (Northern) then bus. Rail: Denmark Hill/Loughborough Junction then bus (+ walk). Bus; 36, 136, 343, 436 |
| Research Updated | 20 December 2020 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The nature garden contains a number of habitat areas including: a pond with dipping platform, native hedgerow (hawthorn, blackthorn), a wildflower “meadow”, a mini beast zone (stag beetle loggeries and insect hotels), sensory and ornamental beds – including a cockleshell path, composting areas and a natural play and exploration area with a living willow tepee as its centrepiece. The garden supports many species including birds, frogs, bats and a range of pollinators and other vital insects. Mature trees include apple, birch and hazel. The garden is a chemical free zone, native species are carefully sourced and compost bins enable the recycling of the garden’s own green waste to produce compost.
Previously a WWII bomb site this corner became home to prefabs until the building of the Elmington Estate began in 1956. A nature garden was established here in 1982 by Southwark Council, Friends of the Earth and London Wildlife Trust. The ensuing years saw it fall into neglect and disrepair but in autumn 2014 Southwark Council, in partnership with The Conservation Volunteers, began work to re-establish it in order to provide access for the community and an opportunity for wildlife education for local schools. The official re-opening of the garden was on 16 June 2015.
Valuable contributions in the planning and building stages came from the Elmington Resident Steering Group and Brunswick Park School. The London Wildlife Trust designed the landscaping which The Conservation Volunteers implemented. Froglife installed the pond and dipping platform
The Pied Piper Mural by Willi Soukop can be seen on the wall of Brunswick Park School overlooking the nature garden. Soukop took his inspiration from Robert Browning’s poem ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ (Browning was born close by in Cottage Green in 1812). Comprising of pre-cast concrete sections supported by a solid masonry wall; it was commissioned by the LCC and originally erected on the Elmington Estate in 1956. A Pathe newsflash shows the unveiling of the mural on 13 November 1959 by Sir Isaac Hayward of the LCC and the Mayor of Camberwell. (http://www.britishpathe.com/video/news-in-flashes-camberwell). The mural was later removed from its orginal site when the Elmington Estate began to be demolished in 2001. In May 2014, the mural was beautifully restored by Stone Edge Conservation Ltd and installed on the wall of Brunswick Park School.
The general upkeep of the garden is undertaken by volunteer neighbours who have formed their own Friends group affiliated to the Friends of Brunswick Park.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ328771 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.21 |
| Site Ownership | LB Southwark |
| Site Management | Friends of Benhill Road Nature Garden |
| Dates | 1982, 2015 |
| Designers | Unknown |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Southwark |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Other LA Designation | Borough Open Land; Urban Density Zone; Air Quality Management Plan |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Development of meadowland here took place from 1847, when Brunswick Square was laid out with an area of private communal garden in the centre. It was named after King George IV's marriage to Caroline, daughter of the Duke of Brunswick. In 1901 Camberwell Borough Council purchased the garden, then divided by a roadway, for a public park, which opened in 1907. Tennis courts and a playground were opened in 1937, and a drinking fountain was donated. The park was refurbished by LB Southwark in 1997-99.
The Aged Pilgrims' Friend Society was founded in 1807 and in 1837 the Society built almshouses in what is now Sedgmoor Place, at that time called Westmoreland Place. The land was given by William Peacock who also built Bethel Asylum nearby in Havil Street. Behind the almshouses is a quadrangle that has a memorial to Peacock who was buried in a vault beneath the courtyard when he died in 1844. The Almshouses were modernised in 1961 and are now flats.
Camberwell was a rural village until the late C18th, and Camberwell Fair was held in August on Camberwell Green for the Feast of St Giles, patron saint of Camberwell, from 1279 until 1855 when it was suppressed as a nuisance to the local residents. In 1856 four local dignitaries purchased exclusive rights for holding the fair on the Green from the Lords of the Manor on a 1,000 year lease with an annual rent of one peppercorn. They sold it to Camberwell Vestry in September 1857 and the Green re-opened as a public open space in 1859. The Green was previously dominated by elm trees and had a pond in the south.