Description
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.
Practical Information
| Site location | Camberwell Road/Peckham Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE5 |
| What3Words | ///above.candle.plug |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Playground |
| Public Transport | Tube: Oval (Northern) then bus. Rail: Denmark Hill then bus; Loughborough Junction then bus. Bus: 12, 36, 171, 345, 35, 40, 42, 45, 68, 176, 468, 484. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Following the demise of Camberwell Fair, W H Blanch in 'Ye Parish of Camberwell' of 1875 commented that 'this concentrated essence of vice, folly, and buffoonery was no longer allowed to contaminate the youth of the district and annoy the more staid and respectable residents'. By 1855 it was a 3-day event with boisterous entertainments but early on the fair had lasted 3 weeks during which produce was sold. In 1842 the Green was the inspiration for Felix Mendelssohn's 'Spring Song' when the composer was staying at Denmark Hill, and the original title of the piece was 'Camberwell Green'. Efforts to suppress the fair had begun in the 1820s but it was not until 1856 that four local dignitaries raised funds to purchase exclusive rights for holding fair on the Green from the Lords of the Manor. As a result the Green and rights to the fair were conveyed to four local men on a 1,000 year lease for £1,250 plus an annual rent of one peppercorn, who then sold it to Camberwell Vestry in September 1857 and the Green re-opened as a public open space in 1859.
The Vestry forbade building on the Green aside from the Lodge/Keeper's house and it was stipulated by covenant that the Green was to remain 'as an ornamental pleasure ground for public benefit of the inhabitants of the parish of Camberwell'. However, in World War I a YMCA hut was built on the Green for use by the army, later demolished in the 1920s and in WWII air raid shelters where excavated in the north, on the site of the current playground. The building restriction was reinforced by law in 1931.
The Green was previously dominated by elm trees and had a pond in the south; trees on the Green now include London plane, gingko, catalpa, weeping ash, false acacia and is surrounded by modern cast iron railings set between the original cast iron piers. A new children's playground was opened in 1998.
The Vestry forbade building on the Green aside from the Lodge/Keeper's house and it was stipulated by covenant that the Green was to remain 'as an ornamental pleasure ground for public benefit of the inhabitants of the parish of Camberwell'. However, in World War I a YMCA hut was built on the Green for use by the army, later demolished in the 1920s and in WWII air raid shelters where excavated in the north, on the site of the current playground. The building restriction was reinforced by law in 1931.
The Green was previously dominated by elm trees and had a pond in the south; trees on the Green now include London plane, gingko, catalpa, weeping ash, false acacia and is surrounded by modern cast iron railings set between the original cast iron piers. A new children's playground was opened in 1998.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ325768 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.898 |
| Site Ownership | LB Southwark |
| Site Management | Parks |
| Dates | 1859 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: late C19th former bank now offices facing green; no. 15 Camberwell Green, no. 17 Camberwell Green (former London County Bank) |
| 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 | Yes |
| Local Authority | Southwark |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Camberwell Green |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Zone |
| Other LA Designation | Greens/Commons, Tier Two; London Squares Preservation Act |
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 medieval church of St Giles served a large parish comprising the villages at Camberwell, Peckham and Dulwich, the area later engulfed by housing. The present church of St Giles was built in 1842-44 when the earlier church was destroyed in a fire in 1841, only its porch remaining. The new church was Sir George Gilbert Scott's first major gothic building. The walled churchyard was in use until 1856, having been enlarged in 1717, 1803 and 1825. After its closure it became neglected and part was lost when Peckham Road was widened. It was cleared of graves in 1939 and laid out as a public garden, with headstones forming a wall on the northern end. It contains mature trees and a few tombs remain in the grass.
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.
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.