Description
Rockliffe Gardens was created on the site of former brick workings, which operated from the late 1860s until the end of the C19th. The clay digging and dumping of spoil had left an interesting terrain. Woolwich Borough Council purchased the site in 1935 and laid out ornamental public gardens with formal areas, terraces, rock and water features, which were opened by the Mayor in 1937. There was serious subsidence here on 8 September 1937, affecting the children's play area at the northern boundary. Sadly neglected in later years, Friends of Rockliffe Gardens was formed in 2008 to work towards restoring the gardens.
Practical Information
| Site location | Southland Road, Plumstead |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE18 |
| What3Words | ///excuse.dared.trials |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Greenwich |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 9am - dusk |
| Public Transport | Rail: Welling then bus. Bus: 51 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
When it opened, Rockliffe Gardens was a jewel-like public park created on the site of former brick workings. In the 1840s the land was called Tidneys Field and was used as arable farmland. By 1869 brick works had been established on the north end of Tidneys by the King's Highway and the field was dug out and used as a claypit for the works, which appear to have closed by the end of the C19th. During WWI allotments were established on a small level area at the south end of the site but the field was otherwise used as a rubbish tip until the land was purchased by Woolwich Borough Council in January 1935. The Council recognised the landscape potential created by the clay digging and dumping of spoil, which had formed a succession of 'cliffs and bluffs, terraces and dells'. The landscaping and layout was by Mr Tee, the Borough Engineer and the whole formed a comprehensive design, including walls and iron work. Rockliffe Gardens was formally opened in the early summer of 1937 by the Mayor of Woolwich, Miss M Crout.
Entry from Camdale Road was via a gateway with iron gates flanked by stone walls leading into a grove of Cedars; to the east a formal Arts and Crafts style sunken garden was laid out with a pergola, pool and a small circular pond with fountain, but by 2002 these had become derelict. To the north were a series of walled terraces, with steps and paved paths, and below the terraces a path to the west led into a dell planted with birch, bamboo, holly, pines, willow, laurel and other shrubs and a pond with a rock cascade. A winding path led up to another concrete-lined pond and an impressive rock cliff behind was formed out of granite and oolitic limestone; stepping stones were provided over the watercourse for which water was circulated by an electric pump, and the lake was formerly surrounded by heather gardens. Steps up the side of the cliff led to the pergola at the end of the formal garden. On the slopes gorse, broom and numerous bulbs were planted. Foundations and floor are all that remain today of a thatched pavilion that provided sheltered seating, toilets and gardeners' accommodation with notable shrub planting around this area; a serpentine path leads into another discrete lawn area. The lower area to the north was originally left as coarse grassland planted with specimen trees, mainly cypress. At the extreme northern boundary was an enclosed area with children's play equipment, and a paddling and boating pool were planned, although they were not in place at the opening. In the south-east tennis courts were also to be provided if the demand was there and funds allowed.
This area of Plumstead is undermined by chalk workings, and this resulted in serious subsidence in Rockliffe Gardens on 8 September 1937, affecting the children's play area at the northern boundary. The realisation that housing had been constructed on an area so undermined was a cause of much protest in the 1930s and 1940s. Although the overall structure of the garden and its features remain, they became sadly neglected in later years. Friends of Rockliffe Gardens was formed in 2008 to work towards restoring the gardens.
Entry from Camdale Road was via a gateway with iron gates flanked by stone walls leading into a grove of Cedars; to the east a formal Arts and Crafts style sunken garden was laid out with a pergola, pool and a small circular pond with fountain, but by 2002 these had become derelict. To the north were a series of walled terraces, with steps and paved paths, and below the terraces a path to the west led into a dell planted with birch, bamboo, holly, pines, willow, laurel and other shrubs and a pond with a rock cascade. A winding path led up to another concrete-lined pond and an impressive rock cliff behind was formed out of granite and oolitic limestone; stepping stones were provided over the watercourse for which water was circulated by an electric pump, and the lake was formerly surrounded by heather gardens. Steps up the side of the cliff led to the pergola at the end of the formal garden. On the slopes gorse, broom and numerous bulbs were planted. Foundations and floor are all that remain today of a thatched pavilion that provided sheltered seating, toilets and gardeners' accommodation with notable shrub planting around this area; a serpentine path leads into another discrete lawn area. The lower area to the north was originally left as coarse grassland planted with specimen trees, mainly cypress. At the extreme northern boundary was an enclosed area with children's play equipment, and a paddling and boating pool were planned, although they were not in place at the opening. In the south-east tennis courts were also to be provided if the demand was there and funds allowed.
This area of Plumstead is undermined by chalk workings, and this resulted in serious subsidence in Rockliffe Gardens on 8 September 1937, affecting the children's play area at the northern boundary. The realisation that housing had been constructed on an area so undermined was a cause of much protest in the 1930s and 1940s. Although the overall structure of the garden and its features remain, they became sadly neglected in later years. Friends of Rockliffe Gardens was formed in 2008 to work towards restoring the gardens.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ458774 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.06 |
| Site Ownership | RB Greenwich |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces Department; Friends of Rockliffe Gardens |
| Dates | 1935-37 |
| Designers | H T W Tee, Borough Engineer, Woolwich Borough Council |
| 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 | Greenwich |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Character of Metropolitan Interest |
| Other LA Designation | Green Chain |
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
Woolwich Cemetery is in two parts, the Old Cemetery to the west and the New Cemetery to the east. The west part was laid out by Woolwich Burial Board in 1856 on land that was once part of Plumstead Common. The walled and railed cemetery retains one of the original chapels and has a number of fine mature trees. Although some gravestones have been cleared, among the memorials is that to victims of the Princes Alice disaster of 1878. The east site for the New Cemetery was purchased in 1885 and is still in use. It contains graves of those who died in explosions at Royal Arsenal as well as the War Memorial and a number of War Graves.
This small public garden was laid out in the 1930s and opened in 1942, named after William Barefoot (1872-1941) who had been Mayor of Woolwich in 1925-27. At the entrance on Alliance Road are fine wrought iron gates with the Borough coat-of-arms. On a sloping site, the garden has an area of lawn at the base of the hill, with a path winding up through steep woodland and shrubbery to an entrance at the top of the hill.
The site was previously part of the lands of East Wickham Farm and East Wickham House, and the name dates back to at least 1284. The area was once wooded and an area of old oak woodland survives. It was part of the Manor of Plumstead, and in 1902 was transferred to Bexley Borough Council. In the 1950s part of the site was used for landfill of green waste and bomb damage rubble, but it was later levelled and grassed over for a public open space.
