Description
Mint Street Park was laid out on the site previously occupied by the Evelina Hospital for Sick Children founded by Baron Frederick de Rothschild in memory of his wife Evelina who died in premature childbirth in 1866. It opened in 1869 and remained here until 1976 although it was later re-established in a new building next to St Thomas' Hospital. After the hospital closed the buildings were demolished and the site became green space. Mint Street Park was re-landscaped by Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) working with local people to carry out improvements that included new landscaping, access and lighting. Raised beds were created and planted by the gardening club working with Putting Down Roots, a project run by St Mungo's Association working with homeless people. Mint Street Park is now s a local play space and venue for community events, and includes an adventure play facility.
Practical Information
| Site location | Mint Street/Marshalsea Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE1 |
| What3Words | ///design.sounds.ranch |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Play area |
| Public Transport | Tube: Borough (Northern). Bus: 35, 40, 343. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ322798 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.912 |
| Site Ownership | LB Southwark |
| Site Management | Parks; Mint Street Park Gardening Club run by Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) |
| 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 Zone |
| Other LA Designation | Local Park, Tier Two. Strategic Views Backdrop Consultation Zone |
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
Red Cross Garden formed part of Octavia Hill's pioneering social housing scheme here, which consisted of two rows of cottages and a community hall, designed by Elijah Hoole. The garden predated the buildings and was laid out in 1887, the opening ceremony taking place in 1888. It was created to provide 'an open air sitting room for the tired inhabitants of Southwark' and had an elaborate layout of curved lawns, flower beds and serpentine paths, an ornamental pond with fountain, bandstand and covered children's play area. There were once two mosaics in the garden, that depicting 'The Sower' remains, restored in 1956 and again in 2005. During WWII the railings were removed for the war effort and the caretaker dismissed, and by 1948 the layout of the garden had disappeared. Sir Sidney Cockerell writing to The Times of his visit in July 1948 found 'a desolate flat space part of it newly asphalted'. The garden appears treeless in a photograph of 1965, although some trees were subsequently planted. It was not until 2005 that it was restored to much of its original layout through the work of Bankside Open Spaces Trust with support by local people and funding from HLF and Southwark Council. It reflects its Victorian origins as a community garden and combines C19th and ecological planting.
So-called after Little Dorrit, the Dickens character who was associated with nearby Marshalsea Prison, the site had previously been Falcon Court, 'a horrible rookery of tumble-down dirty hovels'. It was created as a children's playground by the LCC's Parks and Open Spaces Committee, and was opened in 1902 by the LCC Councillor for Rotherhithe, Mr A Pomeroy-Cragg, at a ceremony accompanied by music from the North London Prize Band. Improvement works were carried out in 2001 by Little Dorrit Park Group, set up by group of local mothers including artist Danuta Solowig Wedderburn who created bronze plaques. Works included playground improvements and landscaping and the park is supported by Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST).
All Hallows Church was built by George Gilbert Scott Junior in 1879-80 but was bombed in WWII. Little remains of the old church except fragments of the building, including two stone archways and one chapel that was incorporated into the building of 1957, now in residential use. The churchyard has been restored as a walled public garden and has lawn surrounded by flower beds and shrubberies. Steps lead up to a crucifix in the garden. The garden has been looked after by residents for 30 years or so, and is now supported by Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST).
