Brockwell Park
Encyclopedia
Brockwell Park is a 50.8 hectare (125.53 acres) park located between Brixton
, Herne Hill
and Tulse Hill
, bordered by Brixton Water Lane, Norwood Road, Tulse Hill (Road), and Dulwich Road in South London
.
It is home to the Lambeth Country Show
every July and an annual fireworks display around November 5.
The park also commands views of the skyline of the city
and Central London
. At the top of the hill within the park stands Brockwell Hall.
Brockwell Park contains a number of amenities, including tennis courts, a bowling green, a BMX track and a miniature railway.
(LCC) in March 1891 and opened to the public the following summer.
In 1901 the LCC acquired a further 43 acres (17.4 ha) of land north of the original park. In the 1920s, there were 13 cricket pitches in the park, which attracted crowds of up to 1,500. Brockwell Park was home to the Galton Institute.
wrote a song about the park, named "Brockwell Park", for their 1995 album Ocean Beach (album)
.
Pop singer Adele
told the Sun that she was not performing at music festivals in 2011, preferring "sitting in Brockwell Park with my friends, drinking cider."
Brockwell Park is the setting for the music video of 'Do Your Thing' by local band Basement Jaxx
.
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, Herne Hill
Herne Hill
Herne Hill is located in the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London. There is a road of the same name which continues the A215 north of Norwood Road and was called Herne Hill Road.-History:...
and Tulse Hill
Tulse Hill
Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London, England. It lies to the south of Brixton, east of Brixton Hill, north of West Norwood and west of West Dulwich.-History:...
, bordered by Brixton Water Lane, Norwood Road, Tulse Hill (Road), and Dulwich Road in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
.
It is home to the Lambeth Country Show
Lambeth Country Show
The Lambeth Country Show a large community gathering that takes place in Brockwell Park in Lambeth every year generally on the third weekend of July. There are many events at the show funded by Lambeth Council...
every July and an annual fireworks display around November 5.
The park also commands views of the skyline of the city
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
and Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. At the top of the hill within the park stands Brockwell Hall.
Brockwell Park contains a number of amenities, including tennis courts, a bowling green, a BMX track and a miniature railway.
History
The Grade II* listed Brockwell Hall was originally built between 1811-1813 when the area was part of Surrey and was the country seat of glass merchant John Blades Esq. The land and house were acquired by the London County CouncilLondon County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
(LCC) in March 1891 and opened to the public the following summer.
In 1901 the LCC acquired a further 43 acres (17.4 ha) of land north of the original park. In the 1920s, there were 13 cricket pitches in the park, which attracted crowds of up to 1,500. Brockwell Park was home to the Galton Institute.
Sports facilities
- The recently refurbished 1930s Brockwell LidoBrockwell LidoBrockwell Lido is a large lido in Brockwell Park, Herne Hill, London. It opened in July 1937, closed in 1990 and after a local campaign was re-opened in 1994.- History :...
, an open air swimming poolSwimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool... - An all weather pitch
- A bowlingBowlsBowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
green - A purpose built BMXBMXBicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
track - Tennis courtTennis courtA tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s - A Basketball/Volleyball court
- Grass and gravel football pitchAssociation football pitchAn association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...
es - Cricket nets
- A free weekly 5Km Saturday parkrunParkrunparkrun is the name given to a collection of 5 km running events that take place every week in several different countries. They are free to take part in and require runners to register on-line for a unique athlete number and to print their own identification barcode before taking part.parkrun...
Family facilities
- A children's paddling pool
- A dog free children's play area
- A miniature railway
- One O'Clock Club
Special features
- A caféCaféA café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
, inside Brockwell Hall at the top of the hill - A walled gardenWalled gardenA walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...
with many flowers and herbs - Community greenhouses
- Three duck pondDuck pondA duck pond is a pond for ducks and other water fowl. Duck ponds provide habitats for water fowl and other birds, who use the water to bathe in and drink....
s
Brockwell Park in popular culture
The San Francisco band Red House PaintersRed House Painters
Red House Painters were an alternative rock group formed in 1989 in San Francisco, California by singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek.-History:While in Atlanta, Georgia, Ohio-born Kozelek became friends with Anthony Koutsos, a drummer. He then moved to San Francisco, California, adding guitarist Gorden...
wrote a song about the park, named "Brockwell Park", for their 1995 album Ocean Beach (album)
Ocean Beach (album)
-Double 10" vinyl release:-Release history:-Notes:* Additional musicians: Dan Barbee and Carrie Bradley.* Recorded and mixed at Coast Recorders, San Francisco....
.
Pop singer Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
told the Sun that she was not performing at music festivals in 2011, preferring "sitting in Brockwell Park with my friends, drinking cider."
Brockwell Park is the setting for the music video of 'Do Your Thing' by local band Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo from London, England consisting of Felix Buxton born 1971 and Simon Ratcliffe born 1 December 1969. They first rose to popularity in the late 1990s...
.