Description
Goose Green was formerly the centre of the hamlet of East Dulwich. Over the centuries the land had gradually been enclosed for private use and in 1868 Camberwell Vestry purchased Goose Green, Peckham Rye and Nunhead Green from the lord of the manor to prevent development. The green was transferred from the Vestry to the MBW for £1,000 in 1882, later transferred to London County Council. A community mural painted on a gable wall overlooking the green depicts William Blake's vision on Peckham Rye.
Practical Information
| Site location | Ady's Road/East Dulwich Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE22 |
| What3Words | ///bend.rent.secure |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Playground |
| Events | such as Dulwich Festival Fair (May) |
| Public Transport | Rail: East Dulwich then bus. Bus: 37, 484. |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Goose Green was within the manor of Camberwell Friern and likely to have been part of more extensive common land stretching from Peckham Rye. Over the centuries the land had gradually been enclosed for private use and in 1868 Camberwell Vestry purchased Goose Green, Peckham Rye and Nunhead Green from the lord of the manor to prevent development, the matter taken to the House of Commons. In 1882 the three areas of common were acquired under the Metropolitan Board of Works Act 1882 and transferred from Camberwell Vestry to the MBW for £1,000, later passing to the London County Council. By this time, according to Lt Col J J Sexby, first chief officer of the newly formed LCC's Parks Department, Goose Green possessed 'no rusticity beyond its name', the geese having long gone.
To east of the site is a strip of grass separated from the main green by a railed path, which has a striking mural on the gable wall of Hickley's Road that illustrates the poet William Blake's claim to have had a vision of angels in an oak tree on Peckham Rye Common as a child of 8 in 1765. At the entrance to the playground is a mosaic plaque depicting geese. Towards the west area are a number of mature London plane trees amid grass. Adjacent to the Green to the north is the church of St John the Evangelist, built 1863/5 by Charles Bailey. The site of Rectory Farmhouse appears to have been beneath the vicarage of St John's Church. The OS Map of the 1930s shows paths, perimeter trees and clumps of trees, a drinking fountain and a paddling pool in the area of current playground, and the area fronting the mural having numerous trees.
To east of the site is a strip of grass separated from the main green by a railed path, which has a striking mural on the gable wall of Hickley's Road that illustrates the poet William Blake's claim to have had a vision of angels in an oak tree on Peckham Rye Common as a child of 8 in 1765. At the entrance to the playground is a mosaic plaque depicting geese. Towards the west area are a number of mature London plane trees amid grass. Adjacent to the Green to the north is the church of St John the Evangelist, built 1863/5 by Charles Bailey. The site of Rectory Farmhouse appears to have been beneath the vicarage of St John's Church. The OS Map of the 1930s shows paths, perimeter trees and clumps of trees, a drinking fountain and a paddling pool in the area of current playground, and the area fronting the mural having numerous trees.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ340754 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2 |
| Site Ownership | LB Southwark |
| Site Management | Parks |
| Dates | 1882 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St John the Evangelist Church |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | Yes: Common (CL15) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Southwark |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Greens/Commons, Tier Three. Goose Green Playground: Playground, 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
The Gardens is a relatively rare example in this part of London of a C19th residential garden square. The green enclosure remains in private ownership, for the use of the residents of surrounding houses. At one time there were tennis courts and croquet lawn but today the garden is largely grass with a number of mature trees, and perimeter shrubs and hedging.
Peckham Rye Common was for centuries used as a deer park although local people retained common rights. Together with Nunhead Green and Goose Green, it was purchased by Camberwell Vestry in 1868 after the lord of the manor proposed to develop the land, and it transferred to the MBW in 1882. It was much used for sports and recreation, as well as fairs and other events, and an old pool was later used for bathing until Peckham Rye Pool opened in 1923. The pool was closed in 1987, the site later cleared and landscaped. In 1889 a bandstand formerly sited in the RHS Garden in Kensington was erected here, but it sustained damage during WWII and subsequently demolished.
Beeston's Gift Almshouses were built by the Girdlers' Company in 1834 as a terrace of 7 Tudor-style houses, in front of which is a pleasant garden with railings to the road, mature trees, lawns, shrubs, roses and a mid-C19th cast-iron water pump. They are named after Cuthbert Beeston, Master of the Girdlers' Company, who left property near London Bridge where the first Girdlers' Almshouses were founded in 1582. That site was sold in 1824 when land was needed for building a new London Bridge, enabling the Girdlers' Company to buy the site in Consort Road and to build Beeston's Gift Almshouses. The terrace was extended in the 1960s with the addition of two one-storey wings when two other small almshouses were re-located here, those of Richard Andrews and of George Palyn, the latter previously located in Choumert Road.