Description
Burney Street Open Space is small garden created with money raised by local people that opened in 1981-2. An oak tree planted by the Duke of Edinburgh has since died (2006: not yet replanted). A red granite obelisk records the creation of the garden and a plaque to a milkman whose shop was on the site on the corner of Burney Street/Gloucester Place. At the other end of the street is Poet's Corner, named for C Day Lewis who lived in Greenwich in the 1950s and '60s, a small shrubbery with path and seating.
Practical Information
| Site location | Burney Street, Greenwich |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE10 |
| What3Words | ///funded.bikes.data |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Greenwich |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Greenwich. DLR: Greenwich |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ383774 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.034 |
| Site Ownership | RB Greenwich |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces Department |
| Dates | 1981/2 |
| 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 | Greenwich |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
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
The gardens at Gloucester Circus are private communal gardens provided for residents of the houses that abut it. The development in this area took place from the C18th and Gloucester Circus was designed by Michael Searles as an oval circus. By the late C18th only the south crescent was completed, the north crescent not built until 1840, later damaged in WWII. The garden remains private and contains mature plane trees, grass and perimeter shrubs.
St Alfege Church is on the site of martyrdom of Alfege, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was kidnapped and later murdered by the Danes in 1012. The first church was built soon after his death. Due to the proximity of the royal palace at Greenwich the church has many royal associations and was where Henry VIII was baptised. Greenwich later lost its prominence; following storm damage in 1710 the church was rebuilt under the Fifty New Churches Act of 1711. Among those buried here are Thomas Tallis (1585) and General James Wolfe, who died in action in Quebec in 1759 and was brought back for burial in the family vault. The former churchyard adjacent to the church has grass and trees, surrounded by cobblestones, and perimeter planting; remaining tombstones are stacked by the church.
Queen Elizabeth's College was founded in 1576 by historian William Lambard, and provided homes for the poor and elderly of Greenwich. The almshouses were subsequently rebuilt in 1817 as 40 one-bedroom cottages. In 1967 Lambard House was built to provide a further 28 flats. The almshouse cottages are on three sides of a quadrangle with a chapel at the centre of the south range. To the front is a small communal garden that comprises a simple lawn with specimen trees and shrubs.