Inventory Site Record

Max Roach Park was created in 1978 on an area cleared of its C19th semi-detached villas and terraced townhouses, as part of the Brixton Development Plan. It was initially was known as Angell Park after the local area, Angell Town. It was renamed Max Roach Park after the African American Jazz drummer Max Roach, who visited the park in 1986 to attend the renaming. The linear park is composed of 4 linked areas: amenity grassland, play facilities, trees, lighting and seating areas, and it provides a spacious setting in the context of the residential development and community use surrounding it, which comprise pre-war and later post-war housing immediately to the north. A nature trail extends from the park to Rush Common further south.

Previous / Other name:

Angell Park

Site location:

Villa Road / Wiltshire Road / St John's Crescent / Brixton Road

Postcode:

SW9 7ND

What 3 Words:

giant.deeper.army

Type of site:

Public Park

Borough:

Lambeth

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

All weather playing pitch; Mini playing pitch ;Play for 7-13; Play for over 13s; Play for under 7s

Events:

Public transport:

Rail/Tube: Brixton (Victoria). Bus: 3, 133, 59, 159

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

19/07/2023

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. https://beta.lambeth.gov.uk/parks/max-roach-park

Prior to the creation of the park, the site was covered with C19th semi-detached villas and terraced townhouses, similar to those still found on the north side of Villa Road to the north of the park, but these were demolished in 1978 as part of the Brixton Development Plan. From 1974, squatters had occupied these properties in order to protest against this plan, but in 1978 they were rehoused by the local authority and demolition went ahead for the park. The new park incorporated many of the trees that had stood in the gardens of the mid-C19th villas that were destroyed, originally planted by the wealthy Victorian owners who sought out exotic species from all over the world. The park was initially been called Angell Park, after the local area. Brixton Road remains part of the main route from London to Brighton that may date back to Roman times.

The park was renamed in 1986 after the African American Jazz drummer Max Roach (1924-2007). This was a result of action by Lambeth Labour Party councillor Sharon Atkin, who persuaded the Council to name 27 sites in the borough 'to acknowledge contributions by people of African descent.' Other Lambeth streets were renamed after Francis Barber, a Jamaican manservant of Dr Johnson with ties to Streatham, and Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson; other places were named after musical figures like Roach, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, and Jamaican saxophonists Joe Harriott and Harold McNair. The opening of Max Roach Park was timed to coincide with Roach's GLC-sponsored visit to London, and he attended its opening along with Councillor Atkin and the drummer Ken Gordon, uncle of Moira Stuart. Over his long career, Max Roach played with jazz greats, including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins, and was also a political activist.

The main area of the park is approximately 1.9 hectares in size and comprises open parkland laid out with a series of connecting paths with fenced areas along the north eastern boundary enclosing an Adventure Playground, a ball games area and a single storey building called the Max Roach Building that serves a nursery, One O’clock Club and community use. The Max Roach Building and the Adventure Playground area are separate from the remaining areas of the park and observe restricted opening hours and provide supervised play for children. In addition there is also a small enclosed playground for small children in the centre of the park which can be accessed at any time.

At the south-western corner of Max Roach Park stands a memorial sculpture by Raymond Watson entitled 'First Child', created to commemorate the children who died in Soweto in 1976. Two iron figures stand on a plinth, which has a plaque recording the dedication of the statue by the Bishop of Croydon and its unveiling by his Excellency Happy Mahlunga, Deputy Commissioner for South Africa. Visible from the park is the mural painted by Stephen Pusey in 1982 on the rear elevation of the Brixton Academy, which depicts Brixton's rich community. It was one of a number of murals by local artists funded by Lambeth Council and the GLC after the Brixton riots in 1981. 

A nature trail extends from the park to Rush Common (q.v.) further south. The walks that form part of the Brixton Tree Trail, which extends along Rush Common and up Brixton Hill, are shaded by numerous trees including mature deciduous trees such as Lime and Chestnut and also smaller examples of Hawthorn, Elder, Sweet Bay and Lilac. 

Sources consulted:

Wikipedia, Local Authority listings on planning portal; LB Lambeth, 'Brixton Road & Angell Town Conservation Area Character Statement', September 2003; Mike Urban, 'In photos: Max Roach Park - a Brixton green space named after an American jazz drummer', Brixton Buzz, 17 May 2018 (https://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2018/05/in-photos-max-roach-park-a-brixton-green-space-named-after-an-american-jazz-drummer/); https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/brixton-mural-project-brixton-academy-mural-by-stephen-pusey/view/google/

Grid ref:

TQ312758 (531265,175891)

Size in hectares:

2.0455

Site ownership:

LB Lambeth

Site management:

Lambeth Landscapes

Date(s):

1978

Designer(s):

Local Authority

Listed structures:

None

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

To be checked

In Conservation Area:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

Brixton Road

Tree Preservation Order:

To be checked

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

Yes - Archaeological Priority Area

Other LA designation:

None