Kennington Park
With a long and fascinating history, Kennington Park contains areas managed for their heritage value as well as ones with a more modern layout. The park contains many mature and historic trees, as well as open areas and spaces for wildlife and biodiversity. The park contains a popular café, an 'old English' flower and herb garden, rose beds and a new 'Green Link' which now connects the older Victorian park to the newer extension.
Children's facilities include a new dog free playground and the nearby Charlie Chaplin adventure playground, which has wheelchair access. The park also contains an exciting new nature trail for use by children and schools. There is also a small children's play area at nearby St Mark's Churchyard.
Kennington Park offers a wide range of sports facilities including tennis courts, basketball, netball and an all-weather floodlit facility for football and hockey. Young people and local cricket clubs are also able to use the Kennington Community Cricket Ground.
Address: Kennington Park Road, SE11 4BE
Tube: Oval (Northern Line), 0.1 miles (0.2km)
Rail: Vauxhall, 0.1 miles (0.2km)
Bus: 3, 36, 59, 133 155, 159, 185, 333 and 436 (to/from Brixton, Camberwell, Elephant and Castle, Lewisham, Peckham, Vauxhall and Victoria).
Location map for Kennington Park
Facilities
- Adventure playground
- Children's play area (dog free) with toilets
- One O'Clock Club
- Café
- Dog exercise area
- Flower gardens
- Sports facilities:
- All weather pitch - Astro turf / 3G pitch - chargeable / booking required
- Basketball court - free / no booking required
- Cricket nets - free / no booking required
- Cricket wicket pitch - free / no booking required
- Football grass pitch - free / no booking required
- Football tarmac pitch - free / no booking required
- Hockey court - chargeable / booking required
- Netball court - chargeable / booking required
- Skateboard facilities - free / no booking required
- Tennis courts - the following charges are payable at all times:
Adults £5/hr; Under-16s £2/hr.
Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) manages sports bookings in our parks. Please call them on 0845 130 8998 to make a booking.
- Toilets
- Friends of Kennington Park - email: friends@kenningtonpark.org.
Opening times
The park opens by 7.30am each morning and is closed approximately 15 minutes before sunset. See opening and closing times
Christmas opening hours for Kennington Park sports facilities
- Monday 21 December: 9.00am - 6.00pm
- Thursday 24 December: 9.00am - 6.00pm
- Friday 25 December: Closed
- Saturday 26 December: Closed
- Monday 28 December: 9.00am - 6.00pm
- Thursday 31 December: 9.00am - 6.00pm
- Friday 1 January: 9.00am - 6.00pm.
New developments in Kennington Park
The Friends of Kennington Park have raised over £240,000 for an exciting project which has made the park a fantastic place to play and learn in a safe and welcoming environment. The Friends, working with Lambeth Council, completely refurbished the children's playground with new equipment and landscaping, and created a new wildlife learning trail within the park for use by children of all ages, as well as by local schools and community groups.
Lambeth Council has also secured over £20,000 from the SITA Trust's 'Enriching Nature' landfill tax programme to create areas of wildflower-rich meadow grassland in Kennington Park. This project compliments the playground restoration project and also enables Lambeth to increase people's access to nature. Because Kennington Park is in 'Area of Deficiency in Accessible Natural Greenspace', by creating the meadow and enhancing the playground, this deficiency can be reduced or removed, bringing people much closer to wildlife and helping Lambeth and London deliver their respective 'Biodiversity Action Plans'.
Kennington Park nature trail makes it fun and easy to explore the natural world right on your doorstep. Please click here to go to the nature trail page to find out more about the trail and download a map and activity pack.
History of Kennington Park
Kennington Park was first opened in 1854 and lies between Kennington Park Road and St Agnes Place. It had previously been called 'Kennington Common', and until 1800 was the site of public executions as well as being the South London 'speakers corner'. Methodist founders George Whitefield and John Wesley are some of the illustrious orators to speak at the Common and are reputed to have attracted a crowd of 30,000.
Friends of Kennington Park
The Friends of Kennington Park represent those who live around and use the park, and play a central role in its management and development for present and future generations. The Friends organise regular meetings, events and activities within the park, and regularly publish leaflets and guides about Kennington Park and the local area.
To find out more about or join the Friends, telephone 020 7820 4423 or email them at friends@kenningtonpark.org.
Help us look after Kennington Park
Kennington Park is managed by Lambeth Parks and Greenspaces and patrolled by the Lambeth Park Rangers. The park comes under the area patrolled by the Oval Safer Neighbourhoods Team of the Lambeth Borough Police, who work in partnership with Lambeth Council, Park Rangers and the Friends of Kennington Park to ensure it provides a safe and welcoming environment for all.
Kennington Park welcomes responsible dog walkers, but there are dog free areas such as the children's playground, sports facilities and the formal gardens. This is for the comfort and safety of children and their carers, and also helps to protect local wildlife. There is an area within the park specifically allocated for exercising dogs off the lead without disturbing others.
For more information on Kennington Park and how to help us keep it clean, green and safe please contact us on 0207 926 9000 or email us at parks@lambeth.gov.uk.
Further information