Green areas in London: Parks near Elephant & Castle

In a year when daily walks have become more important than ever, it’s worth noting that there’s no absence of green space in Southwark. Yet it can sometimes feel like finding green areas in London is reserved for those in the know, so we recently worked with local group East Walworth Green Links to put together this handy list. Everything on our list is reachable via a short walk from Park & Sayer, the premium flats for sale in Elephant & Castle. 

Albany Rd, London SE5 0AL

Based along the route of the Grand Surrey Canal, Burgess Park stretches from Camberwell and Walworth in the west to the Old Kent Road in the east with a green route to Peckham Square. Planting features include Chumleigh Gardens and St George’s Gardens, as well as a lake habitat and wildflower meadows. If your little ones like to move around, it’s also a Southwark park with a playground and has a community sports centre with both indoor and outdoor facilities such as tennis courts, a BMX track and outdoor gym equipment. Those looking for a more relaxed time though, can stop for a drink at the café or walk along the history trail.

Elephant Rd, London SE17 1UB

While Elephant Park is still in development, there’s much more going on than the creation of flats for sale in Elephant and Castle. The first phase of completion over the last few years has involved the planting of a natural meadow and the input of a performance area. The North-eastern corner of the park, dubbed the play hub, has a natural feel with a large, interactive water feature at its heart, as well as a large central grassed area with mature London plane trees. The remainder of Elephant Park will be delivered along with the buildings surrounding the park. Elephant Park is the largest new green space in Southwark, and London, for 70 years and has been designed with the local community in mind.

64 Surrey Square, London SE17 2JX

Adored by locals, Surrey Square Park is a little green oasis in the middle of the Aylesbury and Kinglake estates, just a stone’s throw from the Old Kent Road. At 1.2 hectares of open breathing space, it’s one of the most effective green areas in London at breaking up the density of the urban landscape. There’s lots to like, from its large meadows with native flowers, to the dedicated wildlife area which supports birds, bees, butterflies and other important insects. The park’s use is unrestricted for everyone to enjoy and it’s only a 20-minute walk from the Park & Sayer flats at Elephant Park.

East St, Walworth, London SE17 2DX

Nursery Row Park is the oldest park in East Walworth – the original site where the area’s plane trees were acquired in 1897. It’s a great place for play, exercise or to enjoy the wildflower meadow, community orchard and the shade of its many mature trees. Friends of Nursery Row Park is a group dedicated to using the park as a source of inspiration for the area’s budding creatives. They recently worked with BA students at London College of Communication to develop its evolving identity. Examples of their work can be found here.

Victory Pl, London SE17

Finally, Victory Community Park is one of the smaller parks near Elephant and Castle, used by Victory School during school hours. It also has a world plant border, picnic tables, a playground and a games pitch for football, basketball and table tennis. Encouraging wildlife is the site’s recurring theme, thus its nature garden is its most revered feature.