26 Aug Let Bankside get you through the final weeks of school summer holidays
Struggling for things to do with your kids during the last few weeks of summer? London’s Bankside could have the answer. The area has plenty of playgrounds and parks to discover, trees to spot and late summer events kids will love. Full details of what is on offer in the area can be found in the ‘This is Bankside’ summer destination guide, which also includes walking tours of lesser-known sites and historical landmarks and incredibly unique dining, event and shopping destinations. See: https://banksidelondon.co.uk/
BANKSIDE PLAYGROUNDS for games & giggling
See: Bankside playgrounds – Bankside London
1. Marlborough Sports Garden – beach blanket volleyball & space-hopper sprints
2. Little Dorrit Park – Dickens impressions, train tickling & cactus climbing
3. Mint Street Park – spiral slide, treehouse scramble & skyscraper beam balance
4. Redcross Gardens – dragonfly ballet & maypole dancing
5. Perkins Square, off Maiden Lane – rock the motorbike & hang like an orang-utan
6. Tate Community Garden – wisteria whistling & labyrinth lolloping
7.Bankside Beach – low tide treasure trove with sticks & stones & washed-up phones
THIS IS BANKSIDE – LONDON’S OTHER SIDE
BANKSIDE PARKS for reconnecting with nature
See: Bankside Parks – Bankside London
1. Southwark Cathedral Churchyard and Herb Garden
The Cathedral Churchyard is an ancient burial ground and place of worship, a place of calm and peace in a busy urban setting, and a green space that is different from any other open space in the area. The Churchyard was restored in 2015 and planted with flowers and herbs with biblical and Shakespearean connections. During the summer months (June to September) you can pick up one of our Shakespearean Botanical Trails.
Access through the Cathedral. Address: Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge, SE1 9DA
2. Little Dorrit Park
Little Dorrit A small, sheltered green space and playground just off Borough High Street. Find plenty of benches and grass to relax on away from the bustle of the nearby busy main road.
Access via Disney Place (SE1 1HJ) or Borough High Street (SE1 1NJ)
3. Mint Street Park
One of the larger parks in Bankside, you can find Mint Street Park where Southwark Bridge Road meets Marshalsea Road. This is a fantastic green space with colourful gardens, grassy lawns, a playground, outdoor gym and stage.
Mint Street Park is looked after by BOST (Bankside Open Spaces Trust) and the community.
14 Weller Street, SE1 1QU
4. Gambia Street Gardens
Gambia Street Gardens: a pedestrian way and garden between Scoresby Street and Dolben Street. Find a couple of benches to rest your feet, surrounded by shrubbery, and take in new artwork, part of Beyond Boundaries by Blk Moody Boi which asks us to reflect on what it means to feel safe outside in public spaces.
The work is also a nod to key community figure Marion Marples and her love of gardening.
Access via Dolben Street or Scoresby Street, SE1 0XH
5. Hatfields Green
On the Blackfriars side of Bankside, discover Hatfields Green. A shady and leafy park with ornamental planting, grassy mounds and benches to sit and relax.
Hatfields, SE1 8DH
6. Sumner Street behind Tate Modern
We all know the gardens around the front of Tate Modern on the riverside, but head around the back by Sumner Street to find a quieter stretch of lawn and benches. Pick up a takeaway coffee or bite to eat in nearby Canvey Street cafes and eateries and enjoy in the dappled sunlight.
Sumner St, SE1 9JA
7. Keppel Row Garden
Rather than walk the main road along Southwark Street, why not cut through Keppel Row… This little alley has been transformed into a tranquil space with planting, improved lighting and bespoke elements such as a permeable ground surface to alleviate flooding in heavy rain,
Access via Southwark Bridge Road (SE1 0FB) or Great Guildford Street (SE1 0ES)
8. All Hallows’ Churchyard and Community Garden
Just around the corner from Mint Street Park, you’ll find quieter and more secluded All Hallows’ Church and Community Garden. Built by George Gilbert Scott Junior in 1879-80 and bombed in WW2, there is little remaining of the church, except fragments of building including two stone archways pictured above. It’s now been restored as a walled garden with a grassy lawn, surrounding flower beds and benches.
Copperfield Street, SE1 0EP
9. Redcross Gardens
Redcross Gardens is a small park in Bankside that was designed by Octavia Hill (1838-1912), a social reformer and one of the three founders of The National Trust. The park has undergone an award winning restoration by by BOST, to highlight and recreate the original Victorian layout after it was lost under grass and tarmac.
50 Redcross Way, SE1 1HA
