The Hyde Park of South London – bigger, and better, than you’d expect
Burgess Park – SE5
FIFTY-SIX HECTARES
Southwark’s biggest park – 56 hectares.
FREE ELECTRIC HOTPLATES
Cook outdoors for free in summer, one of the only London parks you can.
OLYMPIC-PEDIGREE BMX
Home of Peckham BMX Club, who put Kye Whyte on the podium.
A FISHING LAKE
Anglers, herons and swans, and the sunset over the water.
CHUMLEIGH WORLD GARDENS
Flowers from across the globe in one corner of the park.
Here’s a thing you don’t clock until you’re stood in the middle of it: Burgess Park is enormous. Fifty-six hectares of it – the biggest park in Southwark – stitched together over decades from old streets, a filled-in canal and bomb-damaged land, running the whole way from Camberwell and Walworth across to the Old Kent Road. It’s a made-from-scratch park, named after Jessie Burgess, Camberwell’s first woman mayor, and where a Victorian park is inherited, this one was built. Locals have taken to calling it “the Hyde Park of South London,” and on a sunny Saturday – kites up, music going, someone cooking on the hotplates – you can see why. It’s the kind of park that quietly has everything, and most people who live nearby only ever discover half of it.
It didn’t always look like this. Burgess Park was built, quite literally, on top of the old neighbourhood: after wartime bombing flattened these streets, the plan was to clear the ruins, fill in the Grand Surrey Canal and grass the whole lot over into parkland. It took the best part of fifty years, and for a long stretch it was a patchy, awkward, slightly forbidding place with a reputation to match. Even the people in charge were honest about how far it had to go:
“It’s the ugly duckling that we want to turn into a swan.”
Jeremy Fraser, then leader of Southwark Council, on the half-finished park
The swan turned up.
The lake is the heart of it. A big fishing lake with a fountain, ringed by wildlife – ducks and swans year-round, plus herons, grebes, coots and the odd bird trying to swallow a fish bigger than its head. You can fish it (buy a day ticket; about half the lake is open for it), or just find a bench and watch the sun go down over the water, which regulars rate as one of the best free things to do in the area.
Then there’s the sport, and this is where Burgess pulls ahead of almost anywhere. The BMX track is the standout – a national-standard 400m circuit that’s home to Peckham BMX Club, the club that put a rider on an Olympic podium (Kye Whyte, silver). Add seven tennis courts, a basketball court, football and cricket pitches, and an outdoor calisthenics gym that people genuinely travel for. Saturday morning it’s parkrun – and not a quiet one; hundreds turn up, high-fives all round, with a junior run too. If you want to move, this is the park.
A couple of things visitors rave about that you wouldn’t expect. The cooking area: free electric hotplates you just turn up and use in the warmer months, which makes Burgess one of the only parks in London where you can cook outdoors (they’re electric – no charcoal, no gas, no disposables, and a session runs twenty minutes before it clicks off). And the summer events, plus Chumleigh Gardens – a set of “world gardens,” each planted in a different global style, right in the middle of the park. Which points at the thing locals mention more than anything else: the diversity. This is one of the most genuinely multicultural corners of London, and the park is where it all mixes – families, joggers, anglers, the whole neighbourhood in one big green space. More than one person calls it the park that “grounds” them.
What to know
GETTING THERE
Burgess Park spans SE5, running between Camberwell, Walworth, the Old Kent Road and Peckham, with entrances on all sides – the main ones on Albany Road, the Old Kent Road, Chumleigh Street and Wells Way.
The park is always open.
Nearest station is Elephant & Castle, then a short bus or walk; buses run along every edge (the 53, 63, 78, 168, 172, 363 and 453 on the Old Kent Road side; the 12, 35, 40, 45, 68 and 468 on Camberwell Road; the 42 and 343 on Albany Road). There’s a car park off Albany Road (8am–6pm), but it’s limited – the bus is the easy call.
Address: Albany Road, London SE5.
WHEN TO GO
Sunny weekends are the big social times – cooking on the hotplates, music, events – and they’re also the busiest. Come on a weekday morning if you want it calmer, for a run or a quiet lap of the lake. Spring is worth timing for the cherry blossom, and it’s when the cooking hotplates come back on for the season. Saturday at 9 for parkrun.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE
A few honest heads-ups. Watch for cyclists and e-bikes moving fast through the park – it’s the most common gripe, especially near the bridge and the sports courts, so keep an eye on little ones. The park’s always open, but it’s poorly lit at night, so most people say don’t linger after dark. On busy sunny days it can get crowded and loud, and litter builds up (more a people problem than a park one – the Old Kent Road side tends to be scrappier). Toilets are around but can be variable, so don’t count on them. And it’s big – give yourself more time to cross it than you’d think.
FAMILIES AND ACCESSIBILITY
Strong for families: big playgrounds with separate zones for under- and over-5s, seasonal water-play jets, acres of grass, the lake and the wildlife, and the free cooking hotplates for a summer gathering. The park is broadly flat with wide paths, so it’s manageable with a buggy or wheelchair, though the paths can be long and benches sparse in places.
AROUND BURGESS PARK
EATING
There are two cafés inside the park. Park Life Café, over on the Albany Road side, is the handy one for a coffee and a bite after a lap of the lake; the Chumleigh Café sits in the World Garden, a quieter, prettier spot for a tea among the planting. Friendly staff always get a shout-out at both.
Beyond the gates you’re spoiled on every side. The Old Kent Road is a genuine melting pot for West African, Caribbean and Latin American food; Elephant & Castle – your nearest station – has food halls and a fast-changing restaurant scene; and Camberwell, Walworth and Peckham are all a short walk for indie restaurants, pubs and market stalls.
MAKE A DAY OF IT
Bring a picnic and cook on the hotplates in summer; a rod if you fancy the fishing; or bikes and scooters for the play areas. Wander the Chumleigh world gardens, then head down to Camberwell or the Old Kent Road, and you’ve got a full, cheap day out.
Frequently asked
Is Burgess Park free?
Yes – free to enter and to use most of it: playgrounds, the outdoor gym, the cooking hotplates, parkrun. You’d only pay to book a tennis court or a fishing day-ticket, or for a coffee.
What area is Burgess Park in?
Burgess Park is in the London Borough of Southwark, in SE5. It spreads across several neighbourhoods – Camberwell and Walworth to the west, the Old Kent Road and Peckham to the east – so it’s the local park for any of them, depending which way you come in.
Can you have a BBQ in Burgess Park?
Sort of – traditional barbecues aren’t allowed, but the park has free electric cooking hotplates in the warmer months instead (no charcoal, gas or disposables). They’re first-come, first-served, and each session runs about twenty minutes. It’s a genuine draw in summer, so expect it to be busy.
Can you fish at Burgess Park?
Yes – there’s a fishing lake, and you buy a day ticket (about half the lake is open for fishing). The rest of the time it’s ducks, swans, herons and grebes, and a good sunset.
Can you swim in Burgess Park?
No – the lake is for fishing and wildlife, not swimming. For outdoor swimming in the area, that’s Greenland Dock over in SE16, not Burgess.
What is there to do in Burgess Park?
Plenty: a fishing lake, a BMX track, tennis and basketball courts, football and cricket pitches, an outdoor gym, big playgrounds and seasonal water-play jets, the Chumleigh world gardens, and free electric cooking hotplates in summer – plus Saturday parkrun and a run of summer festivals.
Is Burgess Park good for running?
Very. It’s one of the flattest big parks in the area, with wide tarmac paths and former roads now closed to traffic, so there’s plenty of room to get distance in without stopping. There’s Saturday parkrun at 9 (a friendly 5k, with a junior run too), and it’s a favourite with local running clubs – you’ll rarely run it alone.
Is there parking at Burgess Park?
There’s a small car park off Albany Road (8am–6pm), but it’s limited – with buses along every edge and Elephant & Castle a short hop away, the bus is usually the easier call.
What time does Burgess Park open?
It’s always open – the park doesn’t lock its gates. The sports centre keeps its own hours, and the Albany Road car park runs 8am–6pm.
Is there a café?
Two – Park Life Café on the Albany Road side, and the Chumleigh Café in the World Garden – both good for a coffee or a snack after a walk.
What is Burgess Park famous for?
Being enormous – the biggest park in Southwark, “the Hyde Park of South London” – plus its BMX track (home of Peckham BMX Club, which produced Olympic silver medallist Kye Whyte), its free cooking hotplates, and the story of a park built from bombed-out streets and a filled-in canal.
Why is it called Burgess Park?
After Jessie Burgess, Camberwell’s first woman mayor. The name was given in 1973, as the patchwork of cleared streets and filled-in canal was pulled together into a single park.
How big is Burgess Park?
About 56 hectares (140 acres) – the largest park in Southwark. A full loop of it is a proper walk, so give yourself more time to cross it than you’d expect.
Is there a funfair at Burgess Park?
Yes – a travelling funfair visits at points through the year (over towards the SE5 7LA side). Dates vary, so it’s worth checking before you set off.
What festivals are held at Burgess Park?
Burgess Park has become a real summer festival spot. The big ticketed music ones are Eastern Electrics and Maiden Voyage, with Boiler Room events too, plus the council’s free Community Day – a mix of workshops, music and activities for all ages.
Is Burgess Park lit at night?
Not well – it’s a big, open park and lighting is limited away from the main paths, so most people avoid crossing it late. Fine by day; after dark, stick to lit routes or go around.
Is Burgess Park safe?
Fine by day – busy, friendly and family-filled. Its rough reputation is a hangover from years ago, when the park was neglected – the council and police turned that around and it’s a different place now. The honest caveats: it’s poorly lit at night, so most people don’t linger after dark, and it’s worth watching for fast bikes near the bridge and the sports courts.
