Brockwell Park History Part 3: Play and Ponds & Play
The cache, a small camo-taped tube, is hidden in the middle of a multi-stemmed lime tree to the south of the ponds and children's play area. Please take care to watch out for muggles and ensure that the cache is replaced properly . . .
One of London's loveliest leafy expanses, the 124 acre Brockwell Park is very popular with locals. it is notable for 'Brixton's Beach', its large lido and one of the few remaining outdoor swimming pools in London. In 2003, a meticulously built miniature railway was opened. The 200+ year-old Brockwell Hall is a handsome Regency lodge on the park heights. The shaded arbour in the English walled garden adjacent to the Hall is a peaceful place to chill out and escape from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city.
A brief history (Part 3)
JJ Sexby, the Chief Officer of Parks of the LCC designed the conversion of the estate into a public park. When he came to the estate he described it as displaying 'a wildness …… the beauties of Nature unadorned….. long stretches of undulating grassland dotted here and there with fine specimen trees…… When it was bought for the people of London, it was already a park - not a park site.'
Sexby introduced recreational activities, a swimming and ornamental ponds and cascades, a rustic bandstand and floral carpet bedding near the Hall. Tea Rooms operated in the Hall from the beginning and a children's gymnasium was installed in the stable yard between the Hall and the stable block.
His real masterpiece and the jewel in the crown of the park was the conversion of the estate's kitchen garden in to a stunning Old English Walled Garden.
The Lido open air swimming pool opened in 1937, leaving the old pond to model boats and later ducks & geese. A children's playground (recently awarded the 2013 Street Design Award for ‘Children’s Play’ after extensive redesign and refurbishment), all-weather football pitches and tennis courts were also added. While building the first phase of the Tulse Hill Estate in 1939, the LCC added an access onto Tulse Hill itself, with a way through the new estate to the Brixton Hill area beyond.
Today Brockwell Park is as important and valuable as ever. It is a green lung, a place peace and tranquillity for contact with the natural environment and active recreation, and a haven away from the hectic urban environment.
Opening Times:
The park gates are open from 07.30 - 15 minutes before sunset so the cache is only accessible during these hours