Green spaces
With its leafy landscape and access to green open spaces, it’s hard to believe Elephant Park is in Zone 1 London. But it is. With excellent transport links into the city and beyond, and London’s largest new green space for 70 years on your doorstep, at Elephant Park you really can have it all.
Park life is booming here, with weekly free Parkruns to get involved in, endless walkways surrounded by green space and fun-packed children’s playgrounds all just steps from your new urban address. After a busy week at work, the area’s parks provide the perfect setting in which to relax, whether you prefer to sit with a book, enjoy the big outdoors or talk a walk with a friend.
Wildlife enthusiasts are catered for, too, thanks to the area’s green infrastructure, including living roofs – they provide the perfect habitat to encourage birds and invertebrates to make Elephant Park their home, too.
This two-acre park is the largest new green space in central London for 70 years – think of it as your back garden. Despite being a new green space, the park is home to a wealth of existing mature trees, which have been retained from the previous Heygate Estate. The park is located in the heart of the development, and can be accessed from Elephant Road or New Kent Road. This large, open space, which is open daily, is to be enjoyed by everyone, and is home to a children’s play park and a performance space.
ELEPHANT & CASTLE
At 56 hectares, this regenerated green space is South London’s biggest park, stretching from Camberwell and Walworth in the west to Peckham and Old Kent Road in the East. With a fishing lake, tennis courts, modern play equipment, BMX track and more, this park has it all. If you’re feeling energetic, turn up on a Saturday morning for the weekly 5k Burgess Parkrun. It’s just a short hop from Elephant Park, so you can warm-up on your way there!
ALBONY ROAD, WALWORTH SE5 0AL
Just a short walk from Elephant Park, this Green Flag Award-winning park offers something for everyone. Sports enthusiasts need look no further as there’s an impressive line-up of facilities including an all-weather pitch, athletics sprint track, basketball court, cricket nets, a netball court and tennis court. If it’s a more leisurely park experience you’re after, you’ll find a popular café, space for walkers and a beautiful flower garden to enjoy.
KENNINGTON PARK ROAD, KENNINGTON SE11 4BE
This small but charming park boasts an established woodland area, which is home to a diverse range of wildlife and 11 bird species including the blackcap and the green woodpecker. It offers the perfect spot if you’re looking for a short walk close to home along the green walkways, or just a quiet spot away from the hustle and bustle. With a children’s play area, this park is available for the whole community – it’s currently undergoing consultation to make it more attractive and accessible for local residents.
FALMOUTH ROAD, LONDON SE1
These pretty gardens are named after the chemist and physicist Michael Faraday, who was born in nearby Newington Butts in 1791. The famous scientist discovered the theory of electro-magnetism and there is a striking memorial in his name at Elephant Square in Elephant & Castle. The park has been serving the community since 1905 and, with its tree-lined walkways and inviting open spaces, it’s a popular location for walkers and joggers.
PORTLAND STREET, WALWORTH SE17 2HH
At a little under two hectares, this public green space includes two children’s playgrounds, a wildlife meadow and a community orchard. The park has caught the eye of filmmakers in the past as it featured in the film Finding Your Feet with an all-star cast including Joanna Lumley, Celia Imrie and Imelda Staunton. Thankfully, fame hasn’t changed the park and it is still a much-loved space enjoyed by the whole community.
EAST STREET, WALWORTH SE17 2DX
