Luxmore Gardens

The First Edition OS Map (London LXVIII, surveyed 1869-71) shows Malpas Road and Rokeby Road with terraced houses having back gardens, between which is an unbuilt area of land, with trees shown at the north end. By the 1894-6 Second Edition OS Map Luxmore Street has been built off Malpas Road with two terraces of six houses at right angles to the back gardens of the houses on Malpas and Rokeby Roads encroaching into part of the hitherto unbuilt land. A 'Tennis Ground' is marked to the south of Luxmore Street properties, beyond which a Nursery is marked. The latter use evidently continued well into the C20th, and is marked as such on the revised OS Map of 1914, and built structures are shown on OS maps of 1949. Luxmore Gardens was laid out as a small recreation ground in c.1959, by which time the Luxmore Street terraces have disappeared, and the OS Map (TQ3676NE-B, revised 1969, published 1971) marks 'Luxmore Gardens (Recreation Ground)' at the end of  the gap from Malpas Road, still marked 'Luxmore Street', with a separate 'Playground' to the north of this although it is unclear whether this was provided as a discrete facility or part of the recreation ground. There may have been a stream running between Rokeby Road and Malpas Road that joined the Ravensbourne River at Deptford. 

Luxmore Gardens now covers the area formerly occupied by the Nursery and Playground and comprises an area of grass with a path running north-south, shrubs around the perimeter and some shrub beds, with trees set among the grass. Planting has changed over the years and along one side of the path a wide border of shrubs, grasses and perennials has been planted. Amenities include a playground and picnic tables set in the grass.

In 2017, a community group, the Friends of Luxmore Gardens, was set up to assist maintenance of the park, to encourage improvements and run activities. In 2019 the Friends successfully raised funding for two new projects: ‘Play Luxmore’ and ‘Ping Luxmore’ in order to improve the park's facilities. A grant from the Veolia Trust together with funding from Lewisham Council and Brockley Assembly enabled refurbishing the play area, which now has a large wooden play structure, a social slide, swings for a wider range of ages, seating and natural play facilities. The table tennis table was made possible through a grant from Sport England. Other improvements have included a drinking water fountain and a number of colourful murals by street artist Aspire, funded through a small Our Space grant and feature a fox, a badger, birds and a new Luxmore Gardens sign along the stepped entrance from Rokeby Road.