Description
Lambeth Walk Doorstep Green originated as public open space created following housing demolition in the 1970s, and at that time was known as Lambeth Walk Public Open Space. In 2003 the site was improved by Friends of Lambeth Walk Open Space (FoLWOS) working with Lambeth Council, funded largely through the Countryside Agency's Doorstep Green programme as part of the Big Lottery Fund and in 2005 it was declared a Doorstep Green. Part of the park is managed as a wildlife garden, created through local charity Roots and Shoots. In 2013 Shape Landscape Architects designed a new play area on the green, which combines equipped and natural play facilities, including a tree house with a slide and a sand pit.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Lambeth Walk Public Open Space |
|---|---|
| Site location | Lollard Street; Fitzalan Street; Kennington Road |
| Postcode | SE11 6DY |
| What3Words | ///online.relax.frost |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Lambeth |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Facilities | Play area; wildlife garden |
| Public Transport | Tube: Lambeth North (Bakerloo) |
| Research Updated | 8 July 2020 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Lambeth Walk Doorstep Green originated as public open space created following housing demolition in the 1970s, and was formerly known as Lambeth Walk Public Open Space. In the Lambeth Open Space Strategy produced for Lambeth Council by Scott Wilson in 2004, Lambeth Walk Public Open Space was identified as one of the borough's worst parks, scoring only 38% for Quality, and in the report conclusions it was one of 16 sites that emerged as priorities 'based on consideration of their overall quality, play provision, vandalism and how threatening they feel'. The site was subsequently improved by the Friends of Lambeth Walk Open Space (FoLWOS) working with Lambeth Council, and funded largely through the Countryside Agency's Doorstep Green programme as part of the Big Lottery Fund, with further support from Lambeth Council's Greening Vauxhall Scheme and Cross River Partnership.
The Doorstep Greens initiative was launched by the Countryside Agency in April 2001. Its aim was to provide grants of between £10,000 to £150,000 to local communities, to help them to create and manage their own special local open space.
In 2005 the park was declared a Doorstep Green. Part of the park is managed as a wildlife garden, created through a partnership of FoLWOS, Lambeth Parks & Greenspaces and Roots and Shoots, a local charity dedicated to vocational training, environmental education and urban conservation, which was responsible for creating the garden. Roots and Shoots has a Learning Centre to the north of the garden, with an eco-friendly building and wildlife garden. The park is next to the Lollard Street adventure playground. It offers multi-use space for general outdoor training or events and there is a separate multi-use games area for 5 a side football and basketball in particular.
In 2013 Shape Landscape Architects designed a new play area on the green, which combines equipped and natural play facilities, including a tree house with a slide and a sand pit.
The Doorstep Greens initiative was launched by the Countryside Agency in April 2001. Its aim was to provide grants of between £10,000 to £150,000 to local communities, to help them to create and manage their own special local open space.
In 2005 the park was declared a Doorstep Green. Part of the park is managed as a wildlife garden, created through a partnership of FoLWOS, Lambeth Parks & Greenspaces and Roots and Shoots, a local charity dedicated to vocational training, environmental education and urban conservation, which was responsible for creating the garden. Roots and Shoots has a Learning Centre to the north of the garden, with an eco-friendly building and wildlife garden. The park is next to the Lollard Street adventure playground. It offers multi-use space for general outdoor training or events and there is a separate multi-use games area for 5 a side football and basketball in particular.
In 2013 Shape Landscape Architects designed a new play area on the green, which combines equipped and natural play facilities, including a tree house with a slide and a sand pit.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ310788 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Lambeth |
| Site Management | Parks & Green Spaces; Friends of Lambeth Walk Open Space |
| Dates | 1970s; 2005 |
| 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 | Lambeth |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The park, formerly known as Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground, was previously a burial ground provided to the parish by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1703. It was extended in 1816, but by 1853 was full and closed to burial. In 1880 it was decided to convert it into a public garden, which opened in 1884. Gravestones were moved to boundary walls, the mortuary was left standing, as was a watch house although this has now gone. The recreation ground was extended in 1929 and by the 1970s was largely asphalted. Since re-landscaped, it has grassy mounds, a water feature, with shrubs and spring bulbs planted. In 2013 refurbishment was completed and the park was renamed Old Paradise Gardens. In 2023 a new community garden was introduced in the south east corner designed by Dan Pearson Studios under the leadership of The Garden Museum nearby.
The site was formerly within the grounds of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lambeth Palace and in the late C19th the 'local poor' were given limited public access to what became known as Lambeth Palace Field. Following a campaign for it to have unrestricted opening, in 1900 a licence was granted by the Church Commissioners for it to become a public park, which was laid out and opened in 1901. Various facilities have been added over the years, including a garden area dedicated to Octavia Hill and a community orchard was planted in 2010.
St Mary-at-Lambeth Church dates from 1377 and was restored in the 1850s, but by 1971 the church was redundant and threatened with demolition, its churchyard unkempt. In 1976 the Tradescant Trust was formed and campaigned to save church and churchyard for conversion into a museum and conference centre for garden history. The site has particular importance for garden history with 3 generations of the Tradescant family of plant collectors buried here. By February 1979 sufficient funds were raised and restoration began. The former churchyard behind the church was laid out as a C17th style knot garden. The Museum of Garden History, now renamed the Garden Museum, was officially opened in 1983 by HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Among the monuments in the garden is the Tradescant sarcophagus of 1662, and that of Admiral William Bligh of 'The Bounty', erected in 1817. The Museum has undergone further development since it opened, most recently in 2015 when a major redevelopment project was undertaken to provide a much larger space for the permanent collection to be displayed, two new learning spaces, a new cafe and two new gardens, replacing the 1980s courtyard garden and the churchyard in front of the church.
