Building nature: South London green spaces tour

Cleaver Square (meet in the centre), SE11 4EA

Discover how public green space is becoming an ever more valued part of London's landscape and infrastructure. This walking tour in and around the green spaces of Kennington and Walworth will explore the rich variety of green spaces in south London, and investigate how these places of nature have been built by the ideas (and fears) of life in the metropolis

Getting there

Tube

Kennington, Oval

Train

Vauxhall, Waterloo

Bus

133, 196, 155, 159, 333

Additional travel info

The tour will end at the Walworth Road entrance to Burgess Park, which is close bus stops for a variety of destinations.

Access

Accessibility notes

This tour will include walking across grass and uneven surfaces. There is one instance where we may walk up stairs.

What you can expect

While much of the tour will be spent in green space, we will be crossing a number of busy roads.

Activities

Sun 14 Sep

Walking tour

10:30–13:00

Walking tour

About

About the tour

In this tour we will travel down through Kennington into Burgess Park. Our stops will include garden squares, orchards, historic commons and woodland parks. We will put these green spaces in their historical context, from the 18th century 'pastoral ideal' to the 1944 Greater London Plan.

As we walk, we will explore how integral green spaces are to the urban landscape of London; how nature and green space has been built and defined alongside the city's housing; and how these spaces continue to evolve as our ways of living in the city change.

Practicalities

This tour will last about two and a half hours – please wear suitable shoes for walking, and weather appropriate clothing.

Golden Key Academy

This tour is led by a participant of Open City’s Golden Key Academy – a course training up insightful and engaging guides dedicated to explaining London and bringing its many stories to life. It is part of a wider collection of tours created by Golden Key Academy guides for the Open House Festival celebrating their conclusion of the eight month course. Further information on the Golden Key Academy can be found here https://open-city.org.uk/golden-key-academy

Nearby

Drop in

St Mary's Newington

religious

Church of England opened by Princess Margaret in 1957 after the Victorian church was blitzed. Grade II listed, designed Sir Arthur Llewellyn Smith (1903-1978) in a ‘stripped Neo-Classical’ style. with all its original decor. Stained glass by Hugh Barnaby Powell. The remains of the bombed church in the form of the front arcade and the tower still stand in front of the modern church.

Sir Arthur Llewellyn Smith, 1957

Drop in

Walworth Garden

community/cultural, garden, education

Our timber-frame building was designed by Matrix Feminist Design Co-Operative, and built by women. It represents our community's history of activism - the same ethos that transformed our site from dereliction into a thriving community garden. At a time when women’s voices were largely excluded from the built environment, Matrix created community spaces with care, collaboration and social purpose.

Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative, 1988

Drop in

St Paul's, Newington

religious

Modern architecture church with large copper and lead roof and concrete, brick and stained glass external structure. Marble, wood and plaster interior and artwork by Sculptor Freda Pinto and Gerald Holtom.

Woodroffe Buchanan and Coulter, 1955

Guided tour

Tours of All Saints (EPR Architects), Austral Street

architectural practice

Join EPR Architects for tours of our net zero carbon in operation London studio, All Saints. Led by the project architects, we will delve into the rich history and stories behind the building, and what inspired our innovative design.

EPR Architects, 2022

Drop in

Southwark Heritage Centre and Walworth Library

library

This multi-use community space provides a combined library and heritage service. Visitors will enjoy unique access to the borough’s historic collections alongside a state-of-the-art library with a range of meeting and study spaces.

AOC Architecture Ltd., 2020

Guided tour / Talk

Walworth Town Hall

mixed use

The Grade II listed Victorian complex, originally built between 1865 – 1906, is one of London’s most iconic civic buildings. After a devastating fire in 2013, it was placed in the Heritage at Risk Register and closed. Now, after sensitive restoration by Feix & Merlin and General Projects, it reopens its doors. With a modern CLT extension that celebrates its former glory while embracing its future.

Feix & Merlin, 2024