Description
The land here was open fields until the C18th when it was purchased by the Trustees of Guy's Hospital for use as a burial ground for deceased patients. It continued as a burial ground until the 1850s Burial Acts led to its closure. For a time it was leased to a local builder but in the 1890s part was purchased by Bermondsey Vestry for a much-needed public recreation ground, opening as Nelson Recreation Ground in 1899. Although it was refurbished after WWII war damage it became run down. It was renamed and refurbished after local residents set up Friends of Guy Street Park in 2001 following community consultation. It re-opened in 2003 with improved lighting, seating, play areas, a community garden and a community artwork that also provided illumination.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Guy's Hospital Burial Ground; Nelson Recreation Ground |
|---|---|
| Site location | Guy Street/Snowsfield |
| Postcode | SE1 |
| What3Words | ///buyers.intend.bank |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Playground, multi-use play area |
| Public Transport | Rail/Tube (Northern, Jubilee): London Bridge |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Nelson Recreation Ground was laid out with funding from the London County Council and other bodies and opened 30 March 1899. It was damaged in WWII but refurbished after the war. By the late C20th it had become run-down, and its shelter was derelict and unsafe due to lack of lighting. In 2000 local tenants' groups lobbied Southwark Council for its improvement and community consultation was carried out in 2001. In the same year local residents set up Friends of Guy Street Park and redeveloped the park with support from LB Southwark and The Pool of London Partnership. Works included an improved path layout, lighting, playground and sports provision, and a community garden.
Local resident artist Mark Haywood proposed a community artwork, the Lightbox Project, with the added benefit of lighting up the boundary between the park and adjacent NCP car park. As a result 5 back-lit advertising lightboxes have been installed on two floors of the car park with the intention of displaying a changing series of different works made by artists working with different target groups from the local community. In conjunction with this 3 London plane trees nearby are also lit up with a changing colour scheme to reflect the seasons.
The park was formally re-opened on 26 April 2003 at an event with community planting in the garden, community football, games and other events, and the lightboxes illuminated.
Local resident artist Mark Haywood proposed a community artwork, the Lightbox Project, with the added benefit of lighting up the boundary between the park and adjacent NCP car park. As a result 5 back-lit advertising lightboxes have been installed on two floors of the car park with the intention of displaying a changing series of different works made by artists working with different target groups from the local community. In conjunction with this 3 London plane trees nearby are also lit up with a changing colour scheme to reflect the seasons.
The park was formally re-opened on 26 April 2003 at an event with community planting in the garden, community football, games and other events, and the lightboxes illuminated.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ328798 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Southwark |
| Site Management | Parks; Friends of Guy Street Park |
| Dates | C18th; 1899; 2002/3 |
| 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 | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Guy's Hospital was founded by Sir Thomas Guy in 1721, and built on a site to the south of the old St Thomas' Hospital, which had been here since medieval times until its relocation to Lambeth in 1862. The hospital has considerably expanded over the years with numerous new buildings and facilities but there are a number of courtyards, with sculptures and landscaping, and a Memorial Garden.
Leathermarket Gardens were laid out in the 1930s overlooked by flats of the same period. The garden derives its name from the leather market and tanneries that existed here and on the north side is an early C19th leather warehouse. To the east end of the garden is a rectangular sunken area with formal layout of beds. In the central area, separated by a low brick wall, is a raised circular rose garden surrounded by lawn with ornamental trees, behind which is a quiet garden planted with trees and grass, shielded by privet. Adjacent to the west of the gardens is a children's playground. The gardens have been re-landscaped with EH and other funding and are now surrounded by new railings.
The Tabart Estate was one of the LCC's early slum clearance schemes, planned in 1910 and extended later. The blocks of flats are grouped around a rectangular garden with its original railings. Tabard Gardens provides recreational space for the estate. It is divided into three spaces: a playground, a grass square with seats, and an area formed into a mound and planted with shrubs, now a wildlife area with paths through it, which separates this part of the gardens from the large grass area at the north end.
