Description
Bermondsey Spa Park was opened in 1954 by the Mayor of Bermondsey, laid out with children's play equipment, trees, shrubs, flower beds including extensive ornamental rose gardens onto Spa Road. Other areas are grassed with some trees and a plaque records a tree planted in 1956. It was created through clearance of terraced housing but was near the former site of Bermondsey Spa after which it is named. These pleasure gardens had been opened in c.1765 and so-called after a spring was found in the grounds. Bermondsey Spa Gardens were refurbished as part of the 1999 area master plan and re-opened in spring 2006 with new seating, lighting, a toddlers' play area, a multiuse games area, a dog walking area, a 333m running track, a plaza and the Ellen Brown Bermondsey Play Centre.
Practical Information
| Site location | Spa Road/Grange Road/Alscot Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE1 |
| What3Words | ///speak.down.wooden |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Play area, multi-use games area, running track, Ellen Brown Bermondsey Play Centre |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Surrey Quays then bus. Bus: 1, 78, 42, 188 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Bermondsey Spa was on the corner of Rouel Road and Spa Road and was established by Thomas Keyse (1722-1800), a self-taught artist who bought the Waterman's Arms pub here in 1765. He laid out adjacent fields as pleasure gardens providing musical entertainments, fireworks displays, as well as a gallery with art exhibitions of his own works: ‘pictures of green-grocers' stalls and butchers' shops'. At that time spas were fashionable and he named his gardens 'Bermondsey Spa' after a spring was discovered in the grounds, although the health-giving properties of its waters were disputed. William Boulton, in 'Amusements of Old London' (1901) attributes his success to ‘his cheery personality, his cheery brandy, his lamps in imitation of Vauxhall, his prima donnas and bulettas'. However, the spa later declined and Boulton also refers to the ‘almost touching description' by Mr J T Smith at that time when 'Smith himself the only visitor, with his solemn banter of the artist proprietor's pictures of savoy cabbages and knuckles of veal, and the prima donna in silks and rouge singing her solo according to contract and bowing her thanks for the applause of the audience of one'. The pleasure gardens were maintained after his death until c.1805.
Opposite the park on Spa Road is the Bermondsey Municipal Offices of 1928-30 by Henry Tansley in early C19th Greek Revival Style and the Public Library of 1890-91. The new Ellen Brown Bermondsey Play Centre provides facilities for children and their parents. Ellen Brown was the chair of local forums for many years and contributed greatly to the local community.
Opposite the park on Spa Road is the Bermondsey Municipal Offices of 1928-30 by Henry Tansley in early C19th Greek Revival Style and the Public Library of 1890-91. The new Ellen Brown Bermondsey Play Centre provides facilities for children and their parents. Ellen Brown was the chair of local forums for many years and contributed greatly to the local community.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ337790 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.21 |
| Site Ownership | LB Southwark |
| Site Management | Parks |
| Dates | 1954 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Bermondsey Municipal Offices; Public Library and attached railings and piers |
| 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 | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Park, Tier Two |
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
St Anne's is a picturesque small brick church with tower and spire, which was erected in 1869/70 to designs by J Porter. It is surrounded by railed gardens with island beds set into lawns, and trees around the perimeter. It was originally in the centre of Thorburn Square, a modest square likely to have been occupied by working class tenants, which like much of the surrounding area was built between 1865-75. The square existed into the 1960s but has since been redeveloped and today a pedestrianized post-war housing development built by Southwark Council literally surrounds the church. In 1970 the parish was united with that of St Augustine South Bermondsey, whose church in Lynton Road was later leased and then in 2005 converted into apartments.
St Mary Magdalen dates from the C13th, built next to the Priory Church of Bermondsey Abbey dedicated to St Saviour. The Abbey was built in 1082 and existed until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537, after which its burial ground was incorporated into that of St Mary Magdalen, which became the parish church. The churchyard was enlarged in 1783 and 1810; after it closed for burials, it was given to the Vestry of Bermondsey in 1882. It was laid out as public garden and opened in 1883. The railed garden has a number of fine C18th and C19th tombs among the grass, wide gravelled paths, a number of beds with roses, floral displays, shrubs and trees include mature plane, Lombardy poplar and ornamental varieties.
St James' s Church was built in 1827-9, the most costly of the churches built after the Commission for New Churches was set up in 1818 following the Napoleonic Wars. Its churchyard was closed for burials in 1855 and used for communal clothes drying until it was converted into a public garden by the MPGA and opened in 1886. A number of tombs remain in the gardens, and among people buried here were those with associations with shipping. A playground with covered slide was provided in 1921 for the children of Bermondsey.