Introduction
Section 1
Little Dorrit Children's Playground
Red Cross Garden
Mint Street Park
All Hallows Church Garden
Drapers' Company Almshouses
Section 2
Southwark Cathedral Gardens
Guy's Hospital
Section 3
Guy Street Park
Leathermarket Gardens
Tabard Gardens
Merrick Square
Trinity Church Square
St George's Gardens
Introduction
Directions
The walk is divided into three separate sections, which can be
combined to form a single walk of three to four hours, depending on
the time spent in gardens.
The walk starts and finishes at Borough underground station
(Northern line). Lift available.
Description
This walk takes in parks, garden squares, churchyards,
community gardens and other green spaces which reflect the rich
industrial, ecclesiastical, literary and medical history of Southwark.
All the gardens are open during daylight
hours, unless otherwise indicated. Seating is provided in most
gardens, and they are accessible to wheelchairs, except where stated.
Please be aware of your personal safety when walking. Walking in
pairs or groups is recommended. Use designated road crossings where
possible. A detailed map should be used in conjunction with this walk.
Little Dorrit Children's Playground
Directions
Turn left out of Borough underground station, cross Marshalsea
Road, turn left and then first right past an Historic Southwark wall
plaque into Disney Place. Follow the fenced-in school playing area to Little Dorrit Children's Playground .
Description
The site is named after Little Dorrit, the main
character in a novel of the same name by Charles Dickens, who moved to
Southwark in 1824, aged 12, when his father was imprisoned in the
nearby Marshalsea Prison. The site was previously Falcon Court, ‘a
horrible rookery of tumble-down, dirty hovels’. It became a children's
playground in 1902. Improvements were carried out in 2001 by the
Little Dorrit Park Group, set up by local mothers. The park is
supported by Bankside
Open Spaces Trust (BOST). As with many
sites on this walk, the backdrop views towards central London are
surprisingly stunning.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Red Cross Garden
Directions
Leave the playground from where you entered and carry on round the
school playing area into Redcross Way, crossing over into the Red
Cross Garden .
Description
This garden was
restored by BOST . The garden, originally laid out in 1887 on
the site of an old paper factory, was described as an ‘open air
sitting room ’ for the people of Southwark. The restoration included
the pond with bridge and fountain, new flowerbeds, lawns and benches.
The charming cottages on the far side of the garden (1887, Elijah
Poole) were built as part of Victorian philanthropist Octavia Hill's
pioneering housing for the working classes.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Mint Street Park
Directions
From here, you can follow the directions for Section 2 . Alternatively, leave the garden via the passage to the
right of the cottages and turn left. Cross Marshalsea Road at the
traffic lights near the junction with Southwark Bridge Road. Turn left
and right into Mint Street Park .
Description
Here again, BOST worked with local people to improve the
landscaping, access and lighting. The park is a demonstration project
for government policy on parks and open spaces. There is tiered
shrubbery planting to the left of the entrance, with a modern ‘mound’
and seating to the right. The raised beds were created and planted by
Putting Down Roots, part of St Mungo's, a charity helping single
homeless people in London.
Further information on LGT Inventory
All Hallows Church Garden
Directions
Leave the park past the small play area and turn left. Cross
Southwark Bridge Road at the zebra crossing near the London Fire
Brigade Museum (open by appointment only) and turn right. Cross Great
Guildford Street and turn left into Copperfield Street (narrow
pavements). On the right, opposite Winchester Cottages (further
evidence of Octavia Hill's influence), is All Hallows Church
Garden . The nearest entrance to the garden is up shallow steps
onto a paved area past a small sunken area. There are steeper steps up
to an area with crucifixion statue and planted pots. The far entrance
/ exit (deeper stone steps) is past the now grassed-over church nave,
through an old arch.
Description
This peaceful, secluded garden is on the site of All
Hallows Church built by George Gilbert Scott Junior in 1879-80 and
bombed in WW2. Little remains except fragments of the church,
including two stone archways and one chapel incorporated into a
building of 1957, now residential. The garden has been looked after by
residents for many years, and is supported by BOST.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Drapers' Company Almshouses
Directions
There is a café, with accessible toilets, at Jerwood Space gallery
(first right beyond All Hallows Church Garden, and left at the end
into Union Street).
To return to Borough underground station from Copperfield Street,
retrace the route back along the street, go across Southwark Bridge Road
and along Marshalsea Road to the junction with Borough High Street.
To continue the walk, go to the end of Copperfield Street and turn
left into Great Suffolk Street (again narrow pavements). Cross the
road into Pocock Street, and go under the second of two impressive
railway arches for a view of the tidy ‘cottage-style’ front garden
of Drapers' Almshouses (1820), on Glasshill Street.
From here it is about 10 minutes' walk along Great Suffolk Street,
and left into Borough High Street to return to Borough underground
station.
Description
The Drapers'
Company was founded on the wealth of the
wool trade in medieval times. They built a number of almshouses, of
which this is one, a terrace of five houses, with a railed, communal
front garden.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Southwark Cathedral Gardens
Directions
From Borough underground station, follow the directions above (see Section 1 ) to Little Dorrit Children's Playground and the Red Cross
Garden. From the main entrance to the Red Cross Garden, turn left and
walk along Redcross Way, crossing over Union Street and Southwark
Street. Bear right into Park Street, passing beneath a railway bridge
and turn immediately left into Stoney Street. You may wish to explore
the Borough Market, which sells a range of fresh food (market open
Friday afternoons and Saturdays). Otherwise, go towards the railway
bridge, turn right into Winchester Walk and cross Cathedral Street to Southwark Cathedral Gardens .
Description
The cathedral gardens are on three sides of London's
oldest Gothic church, completed in the 13th century after the original
church burnt down. Much reduced in size from the original churchyard,
the present garden was restored in 2001 and opened by Nelson Mandela,
with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was a curate in the Southwark
diocese. The East Churchyard herb garden was constructed around the
ruins of the medieval Lady Chapel, using herbs which were grown in the
Apothecaries' Garden of St Thomas' Hospital, originally near the
site. The South Churchyard was designed using plants with
Shakespearean and biblical resonance. There are good views from the
river embankment to the north. Accessible toilet available.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Guy's Hospital
Directions
Return to the Cathedral Street/Winchester Walk entrance, turn left
towards the railway bridge and bear left. The road continues into
Bedale Street. Cross Borough High Street at the traffic lights and
walk along St Thomas Street (crossing with a buggy or wheelchair may
be difficult here: pelican crossing about 30m to the right). The
entrance to the grounds of Guy's Hospital is on the right
hand side of the street.
There are steps up to, and down from, the colonnade. To access the
garden via an alternative route, continue along St Thomas' Street, turn
right into Great Maze Pond and right into Collinwood Street (after the
Hospital Friends' shop).
Continue through the pleasant campus grounds into
Newcomen Street. From here, you have the following options:
You can return to the
Red Cross Garden and continue with Section 1
by turning right and walking along to Borough High Street. Cross
into Union Street and turn left into Redcross Way.
To end the walk, turn right along Newcomen Street into Borough
High Street and turn left to return to Borough underground
station.
You can continue the walk with Section 3 from
Guy Street Park
(see below) by turning left
along Newcomen Street and continuing into Snowsfields. Turn right
into Kipling Street and the park is on the left.
Description
The hospital was founded in 1721 by Sir Thomas Guy.
The spacious forecourt leads through to a formal garden area
surrounded by a colonnade, not unlike cloisters, beyond which lies
King's College campus. There is also a memorial garden for staff
lost in WW2.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Guy Street Park
Directions
From Borough underground station, use the traffic lights to cross
Borough High Street and Great Dover Street into Long Lane. You will
pass St George's Gardens , which can be visited
now or at the end of the walk (see
below for description). Walk down Long Lane for about 10 minutes, and
turn left into Kipling Street. Turn right into Guy Street Park .
Description
Once a burial ground for Guy's Hospital, then a
recreation ground, the area was re-landscaped and reopened in 2003. In
spring, a trail of crocus winds its way through the gardens and
continues in Leathermarket Gardens opposite.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Leathermarket Gardens
Directions
Leave the park via Weston Street and cross the road to enter Leathermarket Gardens
Description
Laid out in the 1930s, the gardens are overlooked by
flats of the same period. There is a rectangular sunken area with a
formal layout of beds and a raised circular rose garden. There is also
a quiet garden planted with varied trees and grasses. There is a
children's playground and a café, open Monday to Friday.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Tabard Gardens
Directions
Returning to Weston Street, turn left and walk to the junction with
Long Lane, passing an archway entrance into the workshops and café
which now occupy the former 19th-century leather market. Continue
along Weston Street on the other side of Long Lane. Turn right into
Pardoner Street and right into Manciple Street. On the right is the
Tabard Garden Estate. Turn left opposite Staple Street down a short
path between Tabard House and Rochester House to Tabard Gardens .
Description
The gardens are the result of one of the former London
County Council's slum clearance schemes in the early 20th-century.
The blocks of flats are grouped around a rectangular garden with its
original railings. The gardens provide a large and welcome open space
away from traffic in an area of high-density housing and offices.
There are grass and play areas at either end, and a central wildlife
area planted with shrubs and grasses.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Merrick Square
Directions
Leave the gardens via Beckett Street, turn left and cross at the
traffic lights into Trinity Street. Continue to Merrick Square .
(Private square, open for Open Garden Squares Weekend.)
Description
This small, private garden square was laid out between
1853 and 1856. It retains its original 19th century cast-iron
railings. Holy Trinity rectory, between numbers 16 and 17, was built
in 1872. The garden is well maintained, with a variety of mature trees
and shrubs. The central beds were replanted in 2000 under the
supervision of the Museum of Garden History.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Trinity Church Square
Directions
Leaving Merrick Square, continue along Trinity Street to Trinity
Church Square , also on the left (private square).
Description
Trinity Church Square was laid out between 1824 and
1832. The church of Holy Trinity, built 1823-24, was converted in 1975
for use as a concert hall, now known as the Henry Wood Hall. The
gardens with their imposing central statue can be seen through fine
decorative railings. The statue, of a kind on a stone pedestal, is
late 14th century in style and was in place here by 1836. It is
possibly one of a pair showing Alfred the Great and Edward the Black
Prince, made for the garden of Carlton House in the 18th century. Flat
at the back, it was probably designed for setting within a niche.
Further information on LGT Inventory
St George's Gardens
Directions
Continue along Trinity Street, turn right into Swan Street and
continue to Great Dover Street. Turn left and either return to Borough
underground station, or cross into Long Lane. Turn left behind St
George-the-Martyr church into Tabard Street and cross over into St
George's Gardens .
Return to Tabard Street and walk to the front of the church. Cross
the road to return to Borough underground station.
Description
The 18th-century
church is often referred to as Little Dorrit's Church because
Dickens' character was baptized and married here (see Little Dorrit
Children's Playground, above). Her kneeling figure can be seen in
the stained glass east window. The churchyard was opened as a public
garden by Southwark Metropolitan Borough Council in 1882. In 1903,
when Tabard Street was extended to Borough High Street, part of the
churchyard was lost. The detached portion of the former churchyard,
across Tabard Street, is now called St George's Gardens. The site of
the old Marshalsea Prison, marked by an Historic Southwark plaque, is
beyond the far wall. There is a fine spring show of bulbs under the
huge London plane trees, and two beds planted with decorative box and
a mix of perennials.
Further information on LGT Inventory
