The Friends of Peckham Rye Park
Peckham Rye Park is one of the most beautiful parks in South London. Opened in 1894 it enjoyed many years of excellent upkeep and attention. Sadly, as with most Victorian parks, it was badly neglected after the Second World War.
Local residents and park users felt that an action group was needed to stop the Park from falling into further disrepair so The Friends of Peckham Rye Park was formed in 1995. The group also felt that an organisation was needed to look after the interests of park users and raise any issues to do with the Park from anti social behaviour to saving trees.
Although it is Southwark Council who are responsible for the Park - they are far more likely to listen to a group than an individual. The Friends find out about future plans and canvas popular opinion. Members of the Friends Committee attend council meetings and write to the relevant parties about park issues. Councillors and Park Officials attend some of the FOPRP meetings to listen and take note of new ideas and concerns. This does make a difference to the way our parks are run.
It is therefore important if you care about the Park or are a park user to become a member of the Friends.
For the latest news about events in the Park, minutes of meetings and current campaigns, visit
Friends of Peckham Rye Park Yahoo Group

View across Peckham Rye Park 2005
The Restoration of the Park
The greatest achievement of the Friends to date is the restoration of the Park to its former Victorian splendour. FOPRP were responsible for launching the campaign to bid for money from the Heritage Lottery Fund for this restoration, which took many years of hard work but with the help of Southwark Council, the money was granted and the campaign was successful.
The restoration works started in 2004 and were completed in 2005. The works were commissioned and supervised by Chris Blandford Associates and carried out by Waterers Landscape Associates.
The works included:
Drainage of the lake - which involved the removal of all the accumulated silt, rubbish and debris that had collected over the years and made the lake so polluted and dirty. The terrapins and any fish were collected and rehomed.
Clearing the streams and other ponds in the park
Removing all the dead trees and shrubs and replacing with new. This includes the re-creation of the former Elm avenue (see history page)
The total restoration of the Sexby Gardens - one of the largest projects.
Re-building of the bowls pavilion.
Resurfacing of all the paths.
Repair and renewal of all the railings both around and in the Park
New pillars to the main entrance
Installation of a new drainage system to prevent flooding
Various other projects such as repair or rebuilding of bridges, pergolas, water features, rockeries etc etc.
The restored Park is a joy to the community and a source of civic pride.
One of the terms of the grant from the HLF was that the London Borough of Southwark commit to a 10 year programme of maintenance. This should mean that the works and infrastructure will be maintained to the current standard and it is one of the things that FOPRP members can keep their eye on.
The Friends of Peckham Rye Park today:
The Committee organises meetings when there are issues of concern which need discussion with the membership and park users and are advertised via posters around the Park, in bulletins to the membership and by email to the email list. These are followed by a glass of wine or soft drink giving members a chance to discuss issues and get to know each other.
Members receive regular bulletins with Park news and information about meetings. Twice a year they also receive a formal newsletter. News and information are also made available online via the Friends of Peckham Rye Park Yahoo Group. Christmas drinks are arranged at a local popular venue.
FOPRP held their first fete in the Park in September 2004. Despite adverse weather conditions it was successful. The Peckham Rye Park traditional village fete has become an annual event since then with a fete being held on the Common in September 2005, 2006 and 2007, each year becoming more and more popular and well-attended. Activities include a fun dog show, dog games, a children's fancy dress competition, races for children, and adults, (sack races, egg and spoon race etc) as well craft and other stalls, a traditional tea tent run by the Friends and hot food and drinks by a local business. Sponsors have included the Lord Harris of Peckham and Winkworths.
The most recent Friends support and drive has been for the creation of a café in the Park. After several years the Cafe has been built by the car park overlooking Peckham Rye Common and Fiona Halton, who was awarded the contract, will be opening for business for the first time on Monday 12 November 2007 from 9-4.
Another project is the creation of a Community Garden on the old depot site in the Park. Members of the Committe have attended several Community Council meetings. Earlier this year we applied for funds to clear the debris from the site within the Park. We are pleased to say that we have been awarded Ł25,000 from the Cleaner Greener Safer Fund. This, plus the Ł15,000 we were awarded previously will enable us to make a start on clearing the site and renewing the fencing. This is an exciting new venture and, as with the Café, meetings are being held with Southwark Council to co-ordinate this.
Other issues of concern that members of the Friends Committee make representations on behalf of the Friends are a proposed cycle path on the east side of Peckham Rye Common, development of the paddling pool site, changing room containers to be sited next to the new cafe and the development of the old Waverley Girls Lower School site into a boys secondary school. None of the above would be possible without the continuing support of our members.
If you would like to contact us on any issue please email FOPRP@aol.com
Alternatively, you can write to us at FOPRP, P.O. Box 57803, London, SE23 3NY
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

Š 2005 Friends of Peckham Rye Park


The Friends of Peckham Rye Park
Peckham Rye Park is one of the most beautiful parks in South London. Opened in 1894 it enjoyed many years of excellent upkeep and attention. Sadly, as with most Victorian parks, it was badly neglected after the Second World War. Local residents and park users felt that an action group was needed to stop the Park from falling into further disrepair so The Friends of Peckham Rye Park was formed in 1995. The group also felt that an organisation was needed to look after the interests of park users and raise any issues to do with the Park from anti social behaviour to saving trees. Although it is Southwark Council who are responsible for the Park - they are far more likely to listen to a group than an individual. The Friends find out about future plans and canvas popular opinion. Members of the Friends Committee attend council meetings and write to the relevant parties about park issues. Councillors and Park Officials attend some of the FOPRP meetings to listen and take note of new ideas and concerns. This does make a difference to the way our parks are run. It is therefore important if you care about the Park or are a park user to become a member of the Friends.						For the latest news about events in the Park, minutes of meetings and current campaigns, visit Friends of Peckham Rye Park Yahoo Group
View across Peckham Rye Park 2005
The Restoration of the Park The greatest achievement of the Friends to date is the restoration of the Park to its former Victorian splendour. FOPRP were responsible for launching the campaign to bid for money from the Heritage Lottery Fund for this restoration, which took many years of hard work but with the help of Southwark Council, the money was granted and the campaign was successful. The restoration works started in 2004 and were completed in 2005. The works were commissioned and supervised by Chris Blandford Associates and carried out by Waterers Landscape Associates. The works included: Drainage of the lake - which involved the removal of all the accumulated silt, rubbish and debris that had collected over the years and made the lake so polluted and dirty. The terrapins and any fish were collected and rehomed. Clearing the streams and other ponds in the park Removing all the dead trees and shrubs and replacing with new. This includes the re-creation of the former Elm avenue (see history page) The total restoration of the Sexby Gardens - one of the largest projects. Re-building of the bowls pavilion. Resurfacing of all the paths. Repair and renewal of all the railings both around and in the Park New pillars to the main entrance Installation of a new drainage system to prevent flooding Various other projects such as repair or rebuilding of bridges, pergolas, water features, rockeries etc etc. The restored Park is a joy to the community and a source of civic pride. One of the terms of the grant from the HLF was that the London Borough of Southwark commit to a 10 year programme of maintenance. This should mean that the works and infrastructure will be maintained to the current standard and it is one of the things that FOPRP members can keep their eye on. The Friends of Peckham Rye Park today: The Committee organises meetings when there are issues of concern which need discussion with the membership and park users and are advertised via posters around the Park, in bulletins to the membership and by email to the email list. These are followed by a glass of wine or soft drink giving members a chance to discuss issues and get to know each other. Members receive regular bulletins with Park news and information about meetings. Twice a year they also receive a formal newsletter. News and information are also made available online via the Friends of Peckham Rye Park Yahoo Group. Christmas drinks are arranged at a local popular venue. FOPRP held their first fete in the Park in September 2004. Despite adverse weather conditions it was successful. The Peckham Rye Park traditional village fete has become an annual event since then with a fete being held on the Common in September 2005, 2006 and 2007, each year becoming more and more popular and well-attended. Activities include a fun dog show, dog games, a children's fancy dress competition, races for children, and adults, (sack races, egg and spoon race etc) as well craft and other stalls, a traditional tea tent run by the Friends and hot food and drinks by a local business. Sponsors have included the Lord Harris of Peckham and Winkworths. The most recent Friends support and drive has been for the creation of a café in the Park. After several years the Cafe has been built by the car park overlooking Peckham Rye Common and Fiona Halton, who was awarded the contract, will be opening for business for the first time on Monday 12 November 2007 from 9-4. Another project is the creation of a Community Garden on the old depot site in the Park. Members of the Committe have attended several Community Council meetings. Earlier this year we applied for funds to clear the debris from the site within the Park. We are pleased to say that we have been awarded Ł25,000 from the Cleaner Greener Safer Fund. This, plus the Ł15,000 we were awarded previously will enable us to make a start on clearing the site and renewing the fencing. This is an exciting new venture and, as with the Café, meetings are being held with Southwark Council to co-ordinate this. Other issues of concern that members of the Friends Committee make representations on behalf of the Friends are a proposed cycle path on the east side of Peckham Rye Common, development of the paddling pool site, changing room containers to be sited next to the new cafe and the development of the old Waverley Girls Lower School site into a boys secondary school. None of the above would be possible without the continuing support of our members. If you would like to contact us on any issue please email FOPRP@aol.com Alternatively, you can write to us at FOPRP, P.O. Box 57803, London, SE23 3NY
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