Oasis Farm © Oasis Farm Waterloo
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A walk around Kennington
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Recommended by Area Coordinator Suzette Aagaard This walk links OGSW gardens open on Saturday or Sunday and other green spaces open all the time. Please check garden opening times before starting your walk.
LAMBETH
Starting at Lambeth North tube station, cross the busy junction and head up Hercules Road. Take the first right, Centaur Road, and pass under the railway bridge, adorned with ‘Project Blake’ mosaics – William Blake lived on Hercules Road. Ahead are signs for the characterful artists’ studios at Old Paradise Yard, and immediately next door is Oasis Farm (page 49).
Back on Kennington Lane, turn left, cross the road and follow the pavement round onto Kennington Park Road. Cross by the Toulouse Lautrec restaurant and head down Penton Place to Amelia Street on your left, where you will find Iliffe Yard (page 54), a community of artisan workshops with imaginatively greened common spaces (wheelchair accessibility may be difficult).
Leaving the farm, turn right onto Carlisle Lane then right again into Archbishop’s Park, with good views of Lambeth Palace. Exit onto Lambeth Road and turn right towards the Garden Museum – the Museum and its café (open to the public) are well worth a visit. Cross onto Lambeth High Street, then Black Prince Road. On the corner sits the former Royal Doulton factory, intended as a ‘living advertisement’ – figures of Henry Doulton and others in his studio are carved above the entrance, and tiles embellish the buildings. Continue until you reach Kennington Cross. Turn left down Kennington Lane, past the Gothic Revival Durning Library, then left into the unmarked alleyway behind bus stop BJ. This leads to tiny Knight’s Walk Garden (page 49) – look for the ‘Welcome to No 15’ sign.
Returning to Penton Place, turn left and then right onto Manor Place, to Walworth Garden (page 55) and the adjacent Walworth Allotment Association (page 55). Next, head along Doddington Grove and Doddington Place, then turn right onto Kennington Park Place and into Kennington Park, where you can explore the Flower Garden. The Park is also home to Bee Urban, a social enterprise promoting urban greening and beekeeping.
Returning to Kennington Lane, take the first left onto Renfrew Road to Jamyang Buddhist Centre (page 48) where you can stop for a delicious vegetarian lunch. Tucked away behind the Buddhist Centre, in the buildings of the former workhouse (once home to Charlie Chaplin) is the Cinema Museum, a local gem (www.cinemamuseum. org.uk – open only for film showings or by appointment).
Exit the park by Oval tube station and bear right up Harleyford Road. Bonnington Square, accessible through Harleyford Road Community Garden (opposite the Bee Hive pub), offers a peaceful and green break. As you reach Vauxhall you will see the entrance to Spring Gardens, formerly the celebrated 18th century Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. Finish by making your way to Vauxhall station.
Knight’s Walk Community Garden © Suzette Aagaard
48 Star Community Garden
LB1. Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses SE24 0PA Map 14
Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses (BPCG) is a large and beautiful community garden in the centre of Lambeth’s Brockwell Park. The site includes an orchard, a series of demonstration gardens, a walled herb garden and two commercial-sized greenhouses. It runs its own nature-based education programme as well as year-round events, courses and workshops aimed at children, families and schools. There is also a drop-in garden volunteering scheme and the charity has the support of more than 200 dedicated volunteers. Its aim is to help people grow through learning and learn through growing, with a strong focus on community spirit. Open: Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-5pm Entrance: Dulwich Road, Brockwell Park Gardens, Brixton Water Lane or Tulse Hill Access: Some uneven paths; greenhouses and most of the garden are accessible Nearest station: Herne Hill Buses: 2, 3, 37, 57, 68, 196, 322, 432, 468 Conditions: Tickets are not required for this garden Website: www.brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk
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LB2. Jamyang Buddhist Centre SE11 4NA Map 12
This gated courtyard garden was created from the prisoners’ exercise yard of London’s last surviving Victorian courthouse, Old Kennington Courthouse, built in 1869. Designed and maintained by volunteers, planting consists entirely of raised beds and pots with a mixture of shrubs, climbers, perennials, herbs, fruits, vegetables, annuals and wild flowers. The garden was inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1999, and won the Conservation Foundation’s award for the best Sacred Space in 2010. The large golden Buddha statue, and a fountain made from a Victorian cast-iron safe, complement the garden and provide a delightful setting for Jamyang’s vegetarian café. Open: Saturday 10am-4pm Entrance: 43 Renfrew Road Access: Building and garden fully accessible despite some uneven courtyard cobblestones Nearest stations: Kennington, Elephant and Castle Buses: 196 (Kennington Lane), 133, 155, 333 (Kennington Park Road), 3, 59, 109, 159 (Kennington Road) Website: www.jamyang.co.uk WC
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Knight’s Walk Community Garden © Suzette Aagaard
NEW LB3. Knight’s Walk Community Garden SE11 4PA Map 12
The community garden at number 15 Knight’s Walk is a small pocket of green amongst an estate of bungalows (designed by architect George Finch in 1969), hidden from the bustle of nearby Elephant and Castle. Residents have transformed this garden – within a tranquil, secluded courtyard – into a welcoming community space for gardeners and novices alike. There are rose borders and planters supporting vegetable growing and gilding the estate pathways. Established as a temporary community space in 2017, local residents and organisations meet weekly to practise everything from yoga to bread-making, to arts and crafts – a mural even decorates the garden wall. Open: Sunday 10am-5pm Entrance: 15 Knight’s Walk; the estate can be accessed via Renfrew Road or Kennington Lane Access: Level access via the back gate of building into the garden (front access has small steps); a ramp leads from the building into the garden Nearest stations: Kennington, Elephant and Castle Bus: 196
NEW LB4. Oasis Farm SE1 7LG Map 12
This urban farm in Waterloo is a real hidden gem, just moments from the South Bank. A strip of wasteland has been transformed into a thriving community resource and a haven for nature, with an emphasis on learning to care for people, plants, animals and the environment. The farm, which is a partnership between Oasis Hub Waterloo and Jamie’s Farm, runs therapeutic and educational activities for children, workshops and seasonal events, and welcomes
Jamyang Buddhist Centre © Jamyang Buddhist Centre
volunteers. As well as the farm, there is a private walled garden designed by Dan Pearson, which is normally only usable by staff. Open: Saturday 9am-4pm, Sunday 9-11am Entrance: 18 Carlisle Lane Nearest stations: Lambeth North, Waterloo Buses: 77, 507, C10 Website: www.oasisfarmwaterloo.org WC
LB5. South London Botanical Institute SE24 9AQ Map 14
London’s smallest botanic garden is hidden behind the South London Botanical Institute. It is densely planted with over 500 labelled species in themed borders. Plants used in both pharmaceutical and popular herbal remedies and research can be found in the Medicinal Border. There is also a Southern Hemisphere area featuring plants from Australasia and South Africa, including an endangered coastal shrub. British natives, ferns, scented and drought-tolerant plants and unusual vegetables also feature. At the heart of the garden is a pond supporting native wetland plants and providing a habitat for frogs and newts. London’s first Moss Trail was opened in 2015, featuring 12 different varieties. Open: Sunday 2-5pm Entrance: 323 Norwood Road Access: Narrow paths Nearest station: Tulse Hill Buses: 68, 196, 322, 468 + 2, 201, 415, 432 Website: www.slbi.org.uk WC