Little Dorrit's Playground, named after Little Dorrit

Little Dorrit

Little Dorrit is a serial novel by Charles Dickens published originally between 1855 and 1857. It is a work of satire on the shortcomings of the government and society of the period....

, the eponymous Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...

 character, is a public playground

Playground

A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...

 and small park

Park

A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...

 just north of Marshalsea Road

Marshalsea Road

Marshalsea Road is a major street in Southwark, south London, England. At the northwest end is the Southwark Bridge Road. At the southeast end is Borough tube station on Borough High Street. Continuing across the street are Long Lane and Great Dover Street...

 in Southwark

Southwark

Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...

, south London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

History

The site was previously called Falcon Court, "a horrible rookery of tumble-down, dirty hovels." In 1902, a small public open space called Little Dorrit's Playground was opened north of Marshalsea Road. The surrounding area has many Dickensian associations. Charles Dickens himself had lodgings in Lant Street

Lant Street

Lant Street is a street south of Marshalsea Road in Southwark, south London, England.-Overview:At the northwest end is the Southwark Bridge Road and at the southeast end is Borough High Street. Close by, just to the north in Borough High Street, is the historic St George the Martyr church, where...

 to the south of Marsalsea Road as a child when his father is in the Marshalsea

Marshalsea

The Marshalsea was a prison on the south bank of the River Thames in Southwark, now part of London. From the 14th century until it closed in 1842, it housed men under court martial for crimes at sea, including those accused of "unnatural crimes", political figures and intellectuals accused of...

 debtor's prison nearby in 1824. This had a profound effect on the yound Dickens and his later novel Little Dorrit is based around the area and the prison. The character Little Dorrit was baptised and married in the local church, St George the Martyr

St George the Martyr Southwark

St George the Martyr is a church in the historic Borough district of south London. It lies within the modern day London Borough of Southwark on Borough High Street at the junction with Long Lane, Marshalsea Road, and Tabard Street....

, at the southeast end of Marshalsea Road close to the playground.

Much of the area became derelict as a result of air raid damage during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. In 2001, the playground was improved through the effort of the Little Dorrit Park Group, set up by mothers in the area. The playground is supported by the Bankside Open Spaces Trust

Bankside Open Spaces Trust

Bankside Open Spaces Trust is a charity supporting and inspiring local communities to improve, create and enjoy the parks and open spaces in northwest Southwark, London, England...

(BOST).

North of Marshalsea Road, Little Dorrit's Court, also named after the Dickens character, can be found as well.