Description
Holly Grove Shrubbery is a Victorian shrubbery with a serpentine boundary with a footpath winding through it, of some 250 yards in length. The shrubbery adjoins the nearby listed houses in Holly Grove built between 1816 and 1822, fronted by cast iron railings. The land between South Grove and the rear of houses in Elm Grove was purchased by Camberwell Borough Council in 1896 for £966, which represented paving charges from which the owners were released, and the land was laid out as a shrubbery with the pathway along its length and opened to the public in 1897. It was extended In 1902 when further land was purchased for £350.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | South Grove |
|---|---|
| Site location | Rye Lane/Holly Grove/Bellenden Road, Peckham |
| Postcode | SE15 |
| What3Words | ///bond.pigs.pile |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Peckham Rye. Bus: 12, 37, 63, 78, 312, 343, P12. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2002 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ341763 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.316 |
| Site Ownership | LB Southwark |
| Site Management | Parks |
| Dates | 1897 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Nos. 5-24 Holly Grove, and 32/33 with attached cast iron railings |
| 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 | Holly Grove |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Gardens, Tier Three; London Squares Preservation Act. Regeneration Area |
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
A triangle of land of 0.13 hectares at Azenby Road at the western part of the present Warwick Gardens was acquired by Camberwell Borough Council in 1910 for £600, with a contribution from the LCC of £388. It was opened the same year as Azenby Road Playground, and maintained by Camberwell Borough Council as an open playground. It has since been expanded to the present Warwick Gardens, which was laid out post WWII.
Lyndhurst Square was built in 1843, with a small strip of ornamental landscaping with shrubs and trees between the terraces. Camberwell Borough Council took over maintenance of the garden in 1913. Opposite the square is K2 telephone kiosk of 1927 designed by Giles Gilbert Scott.
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.