History of the Park and Common

On Peckham Rye 1863 Peckham, situated between Rotherhithe in the North and Forest Hill in the South was mentioned in the Doomsday Book (1087) where it is called Pecheha. The name is probably Anglo Saxon and means 'village among the hills'. The old English word for hill being 'peac' and 'ham' meaning village. The nearby hills would be Honor Oak, Forest Hill and Telegraph Hill. Rye comes from the Old English 'brook' and would have been named after the little river Peck that once flowed across the Rye. Part of this stream can still be seen on the West side of Peckham Rye Park today.
During the reign of Henry 1, Peckham belonged to the King and he gave it to his illegitimate son, Robert the Earl of Gloucester, who became the Lord of the Manor.
Peckham was a village back then with mostly a farming community. Much of the land was used for growing crops and fruit and by the 18C Peckham was famous for its melons, figs and grapes. Due to its proximity to the centre of London some of this fruit was destined for the Palace. With so many farms there were also good pastures and cattle drovers used Peckham Village as it was known then, as a stopping place before going onto the markets of London. Their herds were put out to graze whilst they themselves took refreshments at the various inns.

Sheep on Peckham Rye
Peckham Rye has had its fair share of famous historical figures. The poet William Blake walked from the City of London to Peckham Rye when he was a child. He said that he saw a vision of a cloud of angels in a great oak tree. The Angel Oak, as it was later called is no longer on the Rye. The other great poet John Donne often used to stay in Peckham with friends. Poet and playwright Oliver Goldsmith lived for a time in Peckham as did John Wesley.
From the 17C onwards the district became more commercialised and a popular place to live. Houses were built and the population increased. In the 1800's with the Victorian industrial revolution the area began to change as new business moved in. Thomas Tiling introduced a new bus service in 1851 that took passengers from Peckham to the West End and in 1865 the railway came to Peckham Rye. With the railways came the speculative builders and soon the remaining fields and market gardens were built over and lost forever.
Peckham Rye Common was purchased by the Vestry in 1868 to save it from the developers. In this way, this ancient piece of common ground, was safe to be an open space for ever.

Peckham Rye Pond As Peckham's population increased, the Common grew in popularity for sport and other recreation. A large pond occupied an area in the North of Peckham Rye Common. On Sundays and bank holidays the Rye was so crowded that there was concern for the safety of the people.
There was an urgent need for the Rye to be extended. Homestall Farm was adjacent to the Rye and a Dr William Greene put forward a proposal to the Camberwell Vestry re the purchase of the farm so that a park could be created. A report headed 'Extension of Peckham Rye' was published in the South London Press in June 1890. The farm was purchased for £51,000 and the Park was opened on Whit Monday 14th May 1894. On the day of the opening, Dr Greene was presented with an impressive certificate thanking him for the large part he played in enabling Homestall Farm to be converted to Peckham Rye Park.

Peckham Rye Park Opening 1894
The Park as we know it today was opened in stages and created from a sequence of land purchase agreements with the freeholder of the farm. The original layout that was opened to the pubic in 1894 included the open stream, woodland walk and open sports fields. A substantial portion of the Park remained as part of the freeholding of Mr.Stevens of Homestall Farm. In 1908 when the remainder had been bought, the rest of the Park was opened and this included the woodland and the east/west route of the elm walk/avenue.

Sexby Garden, Peckham Rye Park Works were undertaken to establish a new bowling green and pavilion. The Bowling Club was established in 1910 by John Collier who gave his name to one of the competition shields.
The impact of the 'Worlds Fair' held at that time lead to the creation of an Old English garden (later named the Sexby Garden), an American garden, and a Japanese garden which was based around an existing pond which features on an old 1870 OS map. In the South West of the Park, Sandford Cottage located immediately south of The Elms was removed providing more space for the public to enter the Park.
Between 1915 and 1940 after the clearance of buildings in the North West of the Park (including Charlton House), several more renovations were made. A new main entrance was created and an oval bedding area. The Oval was probably established in the late 1930's as a result of the clearance of the villas which formerly occupied the site. Rich carpet bedding once featured in the Oval and the circular areas flanking the oval shape were referred to as the Coronation beds and used to commemorate the coronation of Elizabeth 11 and the death of George VI.

Oval and Coronation Beds
Around this time were also established a rockery and a water garden leading to a stream and pond garden. The paving and pergola structures in the Sexby Garden were upgraded and the original bowling pavilion was replaced with a new building. This was transferred from its position on the corner of the Green to a more central location. It was a lovely wooden structure with a sloping roof and a verandah. Sadly it was burnt down in 1994.

The Avenue, Peckham Rye Park The original Elm Walk or The Avenue as it was called had mature elm trees and a broad path and railings. It was one of the most majestic areas of the Park. The Avenue is a historic feature which pre-dates the Park. It was reputedly used as a smuggling route, when the trees provided hiding places for illegally obtained spirits. It was annexed as part of the public Park in 1908. These trees have all but gone and the Avenue is now but an ordinary path.
There is a lovely account of the open stream and lake written by JJ Sexby in his book on 'Municipal Parks and Gardens of London' in 1905. He writes' In a secluded hollow delightfully shaded with trees a lake has been made. It has an island in the centre and is fed by a small watercourse running though the grounds, which has been formed into a number of pools by artificial dams. This rivulet has its source in a fountain springing out of the rockwork, and thence meanders through the park, receiving some life when babbling over some miniature waterfalls before its entrance to the lake' This account shows a photo of the fountain that sadly no longer exists.

Lake, Peckham Rye Park
During the Second World War, a number of temporary huts were erected to the North of the Park and by the Common for the detention of Italian prisoners of war. These huts were still standing until recently and despite opposition from the Friends of Peckham Rye Park and the Peckham Society they have been removed.

Rye Looking East 1935 Today the Park and the Common provide 113 acres of open space for the public to enjoy.
In 1995 the Friends of Peckham Rye Park was formed. They held their inaugural meeting on the 10th July at Waverley Lower School. The Park was falling into disrepair and neglect. Vandalism (the blight of today's society) had caused a lot of destruction and other problems like flooding of the streams was taking its toll. It was felt that an action group was needed to stop the Park decaying further. It is one of the most beautiful parks in South London.
A campaign was launched to bid for money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore the Park to its former glory. This was successful and the works were started in 2004 and completed in 2005.
The Friends are an important group who care about the Park and the Common. All issues from vandalism to football to the building of the new café for the Park are discussed by the Friends. Ideas and potential problems can then be brought to the attention of the relevant Councillors from Southwark and appropriate action taken.
Help make Southwark a greener borough!
To become a member of The Friends of Peckham Rye Park please download an application form here in pdf or in Microsoft Word format, fill it in and send with your joining fee to the address on the form.
The pdf version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Get Adobe Reader


History of the Park and Common
On Peckham Rye 1863	Peckham, situated between Rotherhithe in the North and Forest Hill in the South was mentioned in the Doomsday Book (1087) where it is called Pecheha. The name is probably Anglo Saxon and means 'village among the hills'. The old English word for hill being 'peac' and 'ham' meaning village. The nearby hills would be Honor Oak, Forest Hill and Telegraph Hill. Rye comes from the Old English 'brook' and would have been named after the little river Peck that once flowed across the Rye. Part of this stream can still be seen on the West side of Peckham Rye Park today.
During the reign of Henry 1, Peckham belonged to the King and he gave it to his illegitimate son, Robert the Earl of Gloucester, who became the Lord of the Manor.
Peckham was a village back then with mostly a farming community. Much of the land was used for growing crops and fruit and by the 18C Peckham was famous for its melons, figs and grapes. Due to its proximity to the centre of London some of this fruit was destined for the Palace. With so many farms there were also good pastures and cattle drovers used Peckham Village as it was known then, as a stopping place before going onto the markets of London. Their herds were put out to graze whilst they themselves took refreshments at the various inns.		Sheep on Peckham Rye
Peckham Rye has had its fair share of famous historical figures. The poet William Blake walked from the City of London to Peckham Rye when he was a child. He said that he saw a vision of a cloud of angels in a great oak tree. The Angel Oak, as it was later called is no longer on the Rye. The other great poet John Donne often used to stay in Peckham with friends. Poet and playwright Oliver Goldsmith lived for a time in Peckham as did John Wesley. From the 17C onwards the district became more commercialised and a popular place to live. Houses were built and the population increased. In the 1800's with the Victorian industrial revolution the area began to change as new business moved in. Thomas Tiling introduced a new bus service in 1851 that took passengers from Peckham to the West End and in 1865 the railway came to Peckham Rye. With the railways came the speculative builders and soon the remaining fields and market gardens were built over and lost forever. Peckham Rye Common was purchased by the Vestry in 1868 to save it from the developers. In this way, this ancient piece of common ground, was safe to be an open space for ever.
Peckham Rye Pond	As Peckham's population increased, the Common grew in popularity for sport and other recreation. A large pond occupied an area in the North of Peckham Rye Common. On Sundays and bank holidays the Rye was so crowded that there was concern for the safety of the people.
There was an urgent need for the Rye to be extended. Homestall Farm was adjacent to the Rye and a Dr William Greene put forward a proposal to the Camberwell Vestry re the purchase of the farm so that a park could be created. A report headed 'Extension of Peckham Rye' was published in the South London Press in June 1890. The farm was purchased for £51,000 and the Park was opened on Whit Monday 14th May 1894. On the day of the opening, Dr Greene was presented with an impressive certificate thanking him for the large part he played in enabling Homestall Farm to be converted to Peckham Rye Park.		Peckham Rye Park Opening 1894
The Park as we know it today was opened in stages and created from a sequence of land purchase agreements with the freeholder of the farm. The original layout that was opened to the pubic in 1894 included the open stream, woodland walk and open sports fields. A substantial portion of the Park remained as part of the freeholding of Mr.Stevens of Homestall Farm. In 1908 when the remainder had been bought, the rest of the Park was opened and this included the woodland and the east/west route of the elm walk/avenue.
Sexby Garden, Peckham Rye Park	Works were undertaken to establish a new bowling green and pavilion. The Bowling Club was established in 1910 by John Collier who gave his name to one of the competition shields. The impact of the 'Worlds Fair' held at that time lead to the creation of an Old English garden (later named the Sexby Garden), an American garden, and a Japanese garden which was based around an existing pond which features on an old 1870 OS map. In the South West of the Park, Sandford Cottage located immediately south of The Elms was removed providing more space for the public to enter the Park.
Between 1915 and 1940 after the clearance of buildings in the North West of the Park (including Charlton House), several more renovations were made. A new main entrance was created and an oval bedding area. The Oval was probably established in the late 1930's as a result of the clearance of the villas which formerly occupied the site. Rich carpet bedding once featured in the Oval and the circular areas flanking the oval shape were referred to as the Coronation beds and used to commemorate the coronation of Elizabeth 11 and the death of George VI.		Oval and Coronation Beds
Around this time were also established a rockery and a water garden leading to a stream and pond garden. The paving and pergola structures in the Sexby Garden were upgraded and the original bowling pavilion was replaced with a new building. This was transferred from its position on the corner of the Green to a more central location. It was a lovely wooden structure with a sloping roof and a verandah. Sadly it was burnt down in 1994.
The Avenue, Peckham Rye Park	The original Elm Walk or The Avenue as it was called had mature elm trees and a broad path and railings. It was one of the most majestic areas of the Park. The Avenue is a historic feature which pre-dates the Park. It was reputedly used as a smuggling route, when the trees provided hiding places for illegally obtained spirits. It was annexed as part of the public Park in 1908. These trees have all but gone and the Avenue is now but an ordinary path.
There is a lovely account of the open stream and lake written by JJ Sexby in his book on 'Municipal Parks and Gardens of London' in 1905. He writes' In a secluded hollow delightfully shaded with trees a lake has been made. It has an island in the centre and is fed by a small watercourse running though the grounds, which has been formed into a number of pools by artificial dams. This rivulet has its source in a fountain springing out of the rockwork, and thence meanders through the park, receiving some life when babbling over some miniature waterfalls before its entrance to the lake' This account shows a photo of the fountain that sadly no longer exists.		Lake, Peckham Rye Park
During the Second World War, a number of temporary huts were erected to the North of the Park and by the Common for the detention of Italian prisoners of war. These huts were still standing until recently and despite opposition from the Friends of Peckham Rye Park and the Peckham Society they have been removed.
Rye Looking East 1935	Today the Park and the Common provide 113 acres of open space for the public to enjoy. In 1995 the Friends of Peckham Rye Park was formed. They held their inaugural meeting on the 10th July at Waverley Lower School. The Park was falling into disrepair and neglect. Vandalism (the blight of today's society) had caused a lot of destruction and other problems like flooding of the streams was taking its toll. It was felt that an action group was needed to stop the Park decaying further. It is one of the most beautiful parks in South London.
A campaign was launched to bid for money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore the Park to its former glory. This was successful and the works were started in 2004 and completed in 2005. The Friends are an important group who care about the Park and the Common. All issues from vandalism to football to the building of the new café for the Park are discussed by the Friends. Ideas and potential problems can then be brought to the attention of the relevant Councillors from Southwark and appropriate action taken.
Help make Southwark a greener borough! To become a member of The Friends of Peckham Rye Park please download an application form here in pdf or in Microsoft Word format, fill it in and send with your joining fee to the address on the form. The pdf version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. Get Adobe Reader