Ruskin Park
A large and popular Edwardian park between Camberwell, Brixton and Herne Hill, Ruskin Park contains many heritage features as well as facilities for play, sport, and relaxation.
Ruskin Park is one of Lambeth's nine Green Flag Award-winning parks, having secured this prestigious title for the first time in 2009. The Green Flag Award recognises the considerable achievements made by everybody to provide the community with a green space we can all be proud of.
There are excellent rail and bus transport connections to the rest of Lambeth and London. Facilities include tennis and games courts, a popular children's play area and paddling pool, ponds, formal gardens and a charming wooden bandstand.
Address: Denmark Hill, London SE5 8EL
Tube: Brixton (Victoria Line), 1.3 miles (1.6 km)
Rail: Denmark Hill, 0.1 miles (0.2 km), Loughborough Junction, 0.5 miles (0.8 km), Herne Hill, 1.0 miles (1.3 km)
Buses: 35, 42, 45, 68, 345, 468 and P4 (all to/from Brixton, Camberwell, Elephant and Castle, Herne Hill, and Croydon)
See a location map for Ruskin Park
Facilities
Opening times
The park opens by 7am each morning and closed approximately 15 minutes before sunset. See opening and closing times
About Ruskin Park
Ruskin Park is a large historic park located between Camberwell, Brixton and Herne Hill in South London. The park gets its name from John Ruskin, the famous artist, writer and social campaigner, who lived nearby from 1823 to 1871. At the start of the 20th Century local residents campaigned for a new park on 24 acres of land in Denmark Hill, and the famous parks designer J.J. Sexby laid out the site. Ruskin Park was officially opened to the public on 2 February 1907, but was enlarged in 1910 by adding a further 12 acres of land to the south, which is now used for football and informal exercise.
Ruskin Park offers residents of and visitors to Lambeth and Southwark a safe, welcoming and well-maintained place with opportunities for play, sports and relaxation. Along with a popular paddling pool, playground, one o'clock club, tennis courts and football pitch, the park contains ornamental and wildlife ponds and formal bedding along with heritage features like the Portico and a splendid collection of ornamental and native trees. Pride of place goes to a delightful wooden bandstand in the centre of the park, which was restored in 2006 and continues to provide a striking focus for all who visit and enjoy this popular place.
Immediately adjacent to Ruskin Park are King's College Hospital and Maudsley Hospital, two of London's busiest hospitals and centres of excellence in medical teaching and research. The park is used by staff, patients and families travelling to and from both hospitals, as well as for exercise and escaping the pressures of ward life. This, combined with the many commuters who walk through the park on their way to nearby Denmark Hill railway station, means it is well used and monitored throughout the day, making it safe and secure.
Help us look after Ruskin Park
Ruskin Park is managed by Lambeth Parks and Green spaces and comes under the Central Lambeth Parks Area. It also comes under the area patrolled by the Herne Hill Safer Neighbourhoods Team of Lambeth Borough Police, who work in partnership with Lambeth Council and the Friends of Ruskin Park to make sure the park is safe and welcoming for everybody.
Whilst Ruskin Park welcomes responsible dog walkers, some areas are dog free such as the children's playground, paddling pool, bandstand and formal gardens. This is for the comfort and safety of children and their carers, and also helps protect wildlife. The rest of the park is open to dogs to be exercised off the lead without disturbing others.
For more information on Ruskin Park and how to help us keep it clean, green and safe please contact us on 020 7926 9000 or email us at parks@lambeth.gov.uk
Improvements in Ruskin Park
Ruskin Park Ponds
Work is continuing on the ponds in Ruskin Park, not just the new one created along the north side of the park in partnership with the Friends of Ruskin Park and Froglife (www.froglife.org), but also the larger ornamental pond next to the bandstand. Further marginal planting has taken place , and more is planned for Winter 2011, which will include opportunities for volunteers to take part in.
Embrace Heritage Project 2011-12
A new and exciting development in Ruskin Park is being led by Embrace Cooperation Ltd, who will work with Lambeth Parks, the Friends and local community groups on a project that focuses on the historic and natural heritage of the park. The project will offer:
- free public events including local history, nature identification and photography walks, as well as practical nature conservation events
- Free environmental education activities for schools, community groups & youth groups
Volunteers will also help create an oral history of Ruskin Park, interviewing longtime residents about their memories and researching the rich history of the park. A small booklet with a brief history of the park, information about facilities and wildlife, and a map of the park. It is also planned to develop a sign about the history of John Ruskin himself, which would then be placed within the park.
Ruskin Park Garden Project
The Friends of Ruskin Park secured £21,000 from Western Riverside Environment Fund (WREF) to help turn the old bowling green in the centre of Ruskin Park into a new contemporary garden that complement the park's rich heritage, landscape and ecological character. Work should begin on the garden this winter and be completed in time for the 2012 Ruskin Park Summer Fair. More information, including designs for the new garden, will be available soon, including project start dates and progress reports.
For more information on any of the above projects please contact Lambeth Parks on 0207 926 9000 or email parks@lambeth.gov.uk.
Friends of Ruskin Park
The Friends of Ruskin Park represent those living around and using the park, and play a vital role in its management and development for present and future generations. The Friends have been instrumental in helping secure a Green Flag Award for the park for the first time in 2009.
The Friends run monthly weekend volunteer activities, as well as a popular annual summer fair centred on the bandstand plus a wide range of other musical and community events. They also produce a regular newsletter for members with news about the park and the latest events.
To join the Friends of Ruskin Park or to find out more about their work, you can contact them via Lambeth Parks or email them at friendsofruskinpark@googlemail.com
Further information