Description
Now named Walworth Garden, this community garden was previously known as Walworth City Farm or Walworth Garden Farm. It was established by local residents in 1987 on a plot of derelict land and, a registered charity, it now has a learning centre, wildlife pond, orchard, horticultural training centre, bee hives and food-growing as well as a wide variety of plants. Its Garden Services Division employs local people to create and maintain gardens for clients including Southwark Cathedral.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Walworth City Farm; Walworth Garden Farm |
|---|---|
| Site location | 206 Manor Place |
| Postcode | SE17 3BN |
| What3Words | ///trades.plans.holly |
| Type of Site | Community Garden |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | daily; Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm; Sat/Sun: 10am - 4pm (may be subject to seasonal variation, check website) |
| Facilities | Garden Centre |
| Events | Various events, workshops; has participated in OGSW |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2017 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The site of Walworth Garden was once at the entrance of the Royal Surrey Zoological Gardens, which was established by Edward Cross in 1831 on the site where Pasley Park (q.v.) is now situated. After the closure in 1872 of Surrey Music Hall and Pleasure Gardens, which took over the site here after the zoo's closure in 1856, the area was largely built over for housing and the OS of 1896 shows housing on the site where Walworth Garden is today.
However, by the 1970s the area was becoming rundown and houses unoccupied; by 1980 buildings including a parade of shops on Manor Place were demolished and the site left empty. Soon after, a group of local residents including 3 new ward councillors began to work together to transform the site as a community facility, initially planning an urban farm here. The site was originally nicknamed 'Concrete Relief'. An early community project here was the Asian Women's Vegetable Project, aimed to assist recent immigrants from Vietnam and other places to grow their own vegetables. Work to clear the site of building as well as industrial rubble began in 1987.
In 1988 the garden was officially opened by Harriet Harman. In the early days a gardener and an education outreach worker were employed, the latter publicising gardening to local schools and the community. Young women were among those employed to help with manual work, which was quite unusual at that time. A fence was erected, drains were laid and the building that is now the Horticultural Training Centre was built. The garden has evolved over the years, and, now renamed Walworth Garden, it is an important community facility, winning the Community Green Flag Award on numerous occasions since 2000, as well as an Outstanding Certificate in the RHS London in Bloom 'It's your Neighbourhood' award scheme. In addition to numerous community activities and workshops, a range of plants and garden produce are for sale. An accredited City & Guilds training centre, Walworth Garden has been running level 2 courses in Work Based Horticulture for over 19 years, with three levels of training offered, an award, a certificate and a diploma. The courses are free to unemployed people aged 16 - 25 in Southwark or 16 - 29 in Lambeth.
However, by the 1970s the area was becoming rundown and houses unoccupied; by 1980 buildings including a parade of shops on Manor Place were demolished and the site left empty. Soon after, a group of local residents including 3 new ward councillors began to work together to transform the site as a community facility, initially planning an urban farm here. The site was originally nicknamed 'Concrete Relief'. An early community project here was the Asian Women's Vegetable Project, aimed to assist recent immigrants from Vietnam and other places to grow their own vegetables. Work to clear the site of building as well as industrial rubble began in 1987.
In 1988 the garden was officially opened by Harriet Harman. In the early days a gardener and an education outreach worker were employed, the latter publicising gardening to local schools and the community. Young women were among those employed to help with manual work, which was quite unusual at that time. A fence was erected, drains were laid and the building that is now the Horticultural Training Centre was built. The garden has evolved over the years, and, now renamed Walworth Garden, it is an important community facility, winning the Community Green Flag Award on numerous occasions since 2000, as well as an Outstanding Certificate in the RHS London in Bloom 'It's your Neighbourhood' award scheme. In addition to numerous community activities and workshops, a range of plants and garden produce are for sale. An accredited City & Guilds training centre, Walworth Garden has been running level 2 courses in Work Based Horticulture for over 19 years, with three levels of training offered, an award, a certificate and a diploma. The courses are free to unemployed people aged 16 - 25 in Southwark or 16 - 29 in Lambeth.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ318781 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.1713 |
| Site Ownership | Walworth Garden |
| Site Management | Walworth Garden |
| Dates | 1987 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Local Authority | Southwark |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Air Quality Management Area |
| Other LA Designation | Borough Open Land; Urban Density Zone |
Gallery
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
Pasley Park is on part of the former site of the Royal Surrey Gardens, which were set up in 1831 by Edward Cross for his new Surrey Zoological Gardens with animals from his existing menagerie at Exeter Exchange on The Strand. In addition to the animals there were ornamental gardens with a large lake and numerous entertainments, which proved very popular with the public. The gardens had declined by 1856 and the animals were sold. Surrey Music Hall was erected on part of the gardens, another popular attraction until 1872. In 1877 the site was sold for development, and terraces of houses built here. In the 1980s part of the former site was laid out as Pasley Park, where in 2010 a Fun Day celebrated the former history of the zoological gardens.
Lorrimore Square was built in the 1850s, its name deriving from Lorrimore Common, one of two commons in the Manor of Walworth, which was enclosed in 1769. A site south-west of the former commonland was donated by the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury to build the church of St Paul, Lorrimore Square, which was consecrated in 1856, the ground around the church let for building. The church and much of the area suffered bomb damage in WWII. The church was rebuilt in 1955-60, a number of the houses restored, and the former green space became part of the large LCC Brandon Estate, designed in 1955 and built and extended into the 1960s.
The terraces of Sutherland Square were built in 1810-30, with a few houses dating from c.1845. The square was truncated when the railway was built across it, separating the east terrace from the rest of the square. In the centre of the west side was a small oval garden area, which was acquired by Southwark Borough Council for public open space and opened in 1922. Surrounded by hawthorn hedge, the garden is largely grass, with small trees and a couple of seats.