One of London’s oldest parks, and its most underrated
Southwark Park – SE16
ONE OF LONDON’S OLDEST PARKS
Laid out in 1869, an 1884 bandstand and the Ada Salter rose garden. Grade II-listed.
A VICTORIAN BOATING LAKE
Pedalos at weekends, a rose garden beside it, and – regulars swear – bright green parakeets.
TWO FREE ART GALLERIES
Contemporary art by the lake and in a former church – open Wednesday to Sunday, both free.
SPORT WITHOUT A GYM MEMBERSHIP
A free outdoor gym, table tennis and Saturday parkrun – just turn up. (Tennis courts are bookable.)
One of London’s oldest public parks, and quietly one of its most underrated – still the best-value day out in SE16. It was laid out in 1869, one of the first public parks in the city, and it wears its age well: a Victorian bandstand from 1884, relocated of all places from South Kensington, and the Ada Salter rose garden by the lake, named for the campaigner who fought for the park to exist. It’s Grade II-listed, and on a quiet morning by the water you’d never guess the Jubilee line is two minutes behind you. Go for a morning and you’ll stay longer than you meant to.
When the park opened on 19 June 1869, the local MP Austen Henry Layard gave the opening speech in the pouring rain:
“We now see the park at its worst. But the time will come, when our children are become men and women, that these trees which have been planted today will have grown to maturity and this park will then be a glory to Southwark.”
Austen Henry Layard MP, opening Southwark Park, 19 June 1869
He wasn’t wrong.
It isn’t a museum piece, though. This is a busy, working, local park, and the thing visitors often say is “it has it all.” They’re close to right. There’s a boating lake with ducks, swans and a flash of bright green parakeets in the trees. There’s a big playground with separate toddler and older-kids areas, and toilets right beside it, which any parent will tell you is the real amenity. And there’s a lot of sport here, much of it free: an outdoor gym and table tennis you just turn up and use, and Saturday parkrun at 9. The tennis courts are bookable through the LTA now – a small fee, with some free weekly sessions – alongside a running track, football and cricket pitches, a bowls green and an indoor sports centre. The rest of the week it’s dog walkers, runners and buggies.
The bit nobody expects is the art. Southwark Park Galleries runs two free contemporary-art spaces inside the park – the Lake Gallery by the pond, and the Dilston Gallery in a former church in the south-west corner. Both open Wednesday to Sunday, 12 till 5, and both free. It’s the single best reason to come even if you’re not local, and the thing that turns “it’s just our park” into an afternoon out.
Which is really who it’s for, in three overlapping groups. Families after a proper day out that doesn’t cost a fortune – the playground, the space, the boating lake. Runners and fitness types, who get parkrun, the track, the free courts and the gym without paying for a gym. And the people who came expecting a patch of grass and left having wandered a Victorian rose garden and a contemporary-art gallery in the same hour. The dog walkers and the quiet-seekers are sorted too. Two honest heads-ups before you go, and then the details.
What to know
GETTING THERE
Southwark Park sits in SE16, between Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, on the Canada Water side. It’s a short walk from Canada Water and Surrey Quays (Overground and Jubilee) or from Bermondsey (Jubilee) – the train is the easy call. There’s a car park on Hawkstone Road, but it’s paid now; you’ll still find older “free parking” tips online and they’re out of date, so don’t get caught out. Surrey Quays shopping centre has a free car park for up to 3 hours.
Address: Gomm Road, London SE16 2ET (gates on Gomm Road, Jamaica Road, Lower Road and Southwark Park Road).
WHEN TO GO
Mornings are the sweet spot – quieter paths, the café at its freshest, and the light on the lake worth the camera. Saturday at 9 if you’re running. Weekend afternoons if you want the boating lake going, though that’s also the busiest. Midweek, Wednesday to Sunday, you can pair a walk with the galleries. Summer brings the events – Southwark Carnival, a craft-beer festival, music and arts days – and winter brings lantern shows; the park earns its keep as a community stage. It opens at 7:30am daily and locks at dusk, so closing shifts with the season.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE
Keep your phone pocketed near the road edges – the one recurring warning from regulars is phone-snatchers on fast e-bikes along the main-road boundaries. People are clear it feels safe otherwise, including for lone visitors; just stay switched on at the edges. The café – the Pavilion, by the pond – is worth a stop: the breakfast is genuinely good, and it’s a lovely spot for a coffee, a cake or an ice cream (about £3 a scoop) without leaving the park. More of a treat than a bargain, but a proper breakfast by the water is hard to argue with. A few small, honest gripes: the water fountain has been out of order, the running track occasionally closes, the outdoor gym is basic, and there aren’t many shops right by the gates. The main paths double as cycle routes and not everyone rings a bell, so mind your step. And the name – you’ll see it online as “Bermondsey Park” or even “Southpark,” but it’s Southwark Park, SE16.
FAMILIES AND ACCESSIBILITY
Families are well sorted: the playground has separate toddler and older-kids areas, there’s open grass in every direction, toilets right by the playground (sometimes short on roll – stick a tissue in your pocket), and Saturday-morning parkrun at 9. The park is flat and largely paved on the main routes, so it’s manageable with a buggy or wheelchair.
AROUND SOUTHWARK PARK
EATING
The Pavilion café inside the park does a proper breakfast, and it’s a nice stop for an ice cream, a coffee or a cake by the pond – and you’re spoiled either side too, with Canada Water and Surrey Quays one way and Rotherhithe’s riverside pubs the other.
MAKE A DAY OF IT
Pair the park with the galleries midweek, or with a Rotherhithe riverside walk any day – the Brunel Museum and Stave Hill Ecological Park are both within striking distance, and the whole peninsula is worth an hour once you’ve done the park.
Frequently asked
Is Southwark Park free?
Free to enter, and plenty is free to use – the playground, the galleries, the outdoor gym, table tennis and parkrun. You pay to book a tennis court or use the indoor sports centre, plus parking, a pedalo or an ice cream.
Are the sports facilities free?
Some, not all. The outdoor gym, table tennis and Saturday parkrun are free – just turn up, no membership needed. The tennis courts are bookable through the LTA (a small charge, though there are free weekly park-tennis sessions and concessions), and the indoor sports centre is pay-as-you-go or membership. So you don’t need a gym membership for the outdoor kit – but the courts and indoor centre aren’t free.
What is there to do in Southwark Park?
More than you’d think: a boating lake, a big playground, two free art galleries, a free outdoor gym and table tennis, bookable tennis courts, a running track, football and cricket pitches, a bowls green, an indoor sports centre, and Saturday parkrun – plus a Victorian bandstand, a rose garden and a café by the pond.
Are the art galleries really free?
They are. Southwark Park Galleries runs two free contemporary-art spaces – the Lake Gallery by the pond and the Dilston Gallery in a former church – open Wednesday to Sunday, 12 till 5.
Is there parking at Southwark Park?
Yes, a car park on Hawkstone Road, but it’s paid now – ignore the older “free parking” tips online. It’s a short walk from Canada Water and Surrey Quays if you’d rather skip the car. Surrey Quays shopping centre has a free car park for up to three hours.
What time does Southwark Park open and close?
It opens at 7:30am every day and locks at dusk, so closing time moves with the seasons – earlier in winter, later in summer.
Is there a café?
Yes – the Pavilion, by the pond. The breakfast’s worth it, and it’s handy for a coffee, cake or an ice cream while you’re in the park.
Can you go boating?
There are pedalos on the lake at weekends – around £6 a head for roughly 20 minutes. The rest of the week the lake is for the ducks, swans and the odd parakeet.
Is Southwark Park safe?
Regulars say it feels safe, including for lone visitors. The one consistent warning is phone-snatchers on e-bikes near the main-road edges – keep your phone pocketed there and you won’t think about it again.
