Brimmington Park

Clifton Crescent overlooks an expanse of green that is the western portion of Brimmington Park. The Regency-style terrace was built in 1847-51 when the area was first developed for housing, and formed the north of what was then named Clifton Grove, an L-shaped street that at its eastern end joined Carlton Road (now Culmore Road) to the south. The terrace consisted of 34 red brick houses with cast iron porches, each having a separate front garden and long back garden. On the south side of Clifton Grove, a few houses were built by the 1870s at the western end, including two larger villas, to the east of which there remained an area of open land (OS 1873), which was bounded to the south by the back gardens of Carlton Road. To the east of Clifton Grove, leading up to the railway line and Old Kent Road station, were a series of gardens, one including a pond. The station had opened in 1866 and later renamed Old Kent Road and Hatcham. It was part of the London and South Coast Railway, and eventually closed in January 1917. By 1895 Clifton Grove and Carlton Road had been renamed Clifton Crescent and Culmore Road respectively, the shorter arm of Clifton Grove renamed Hove Street, and the open land had by now been entirely built over, with the Royal Bleaching and Cleaning Works to the east of Hove Street, renamed ‘Culmore Works' by 1916 (OS). The area appeared little changed following WWII but it was later substantially redeveloped when much of the housing was demolished and the area south of Clifton Crescent once more laid out as open space.

In 2005 the Friends of Brimmington Park was established, and since then has worked to improve the park, which now has paths, seating and lighting. In November 2005, spring bulbs were planted, repeated in subsequent years, and in December 2005 a tree dressing event was held for National Tree Week. An annual Mid-Summer Festival has taken place since 2006. On 1 December 2006 a Winter Lantern Parade was held in conjunction with the Livesey Children's Museum, held for three consecutive years until the closure of the museum. A new children's play area was opened by the Mayor of Southwark in December 2008, with a small sensory garden nearby.