Cha-Fé

Russia Dock Woodland

Docklands · 0.1 miles

A narrow strip of woodland runs through the Rotherhithe peninsula, forming a linear park that separates the area from Bacon’s College in the north down to the Dalton Cross neighbourhood in the south. The site occupies the footprint of the former Surrey Commercial Docks, where timber from Norway, Russia and Sweden was once off-loaded for newsprint and furniture production. After the docks closed in the early 1970s, the London Docklands Development Corporation filled the basins – leaving only a thin watercourse – and planted trees across 34.5 acres in 1980, creating the present wood. Management of the park passed to Southwark Council, which, together with the Friends of Russia Dock Woodland, maintains a network of footbridges such as the Alfred Salter bridge and paths including Waterman’s Path alongside the stream. Adjacent to the woodland, the artificial Stave Hill mound, built in 1985 from demolition waste, supports a viewing platform topped with a bronze relief map by Michael Rizzello. From there, vistas stretch across Canary Wharf, the City and, on clear days, reach as far as Wembley Stadium. The area has been designated a local nature reserve by Natural England, supporting habitats of scrub, orchard, grassland, ponds and a short chalk stream, and attracting hedgehogs, bats, butterflies and dragonflies. The park is listed on OpenStreetMap as a woodland near the Docklands district. Access is on foot via the established bridges and paths; there is no admission charge, and the council provides basic upkeep of the routes and viewing structures. The woodland, together with the neighbouring Stave Hill Ecological Park, offers residents and visitors a green space for walking, wildlife observation and casual recreation.

Greenland Dock

Pepys Estate · 0.6 miles

A water-filled historic site in the Rotherhithe district of the London Borough of Southwark, Greenland Dock lies close to the Pepys Estate and forms part of the River Thames’s south-bank waterfront. Though originally constructed as a wet dock between 1696 and 1699, it now functions purely for recreation and is one of only two enclosed docks still operating on this side of the river, the other being the smaller South Dock, to which it is linked by the channel known as Greenland Cut. The dock began as Howland Great Wet Dock on land owned by the Russell family, built under the Howland Great Wet Dock Act of 1696 and designed by shipwright John Wells to refit East India Company vessels. From the 1720s it accommodated Greenland whalers, prompting the later name change, and by the early nineteenth century it had become a centre of the timber trade after its 1806 sale to timber merchant William Richie. A substantial expansion overseen by Sir John Wolfe Barry between 1895 and 1904 more than doubled its size and added a large lock, allowing ocean-going steamers to berth. The dock was incorporated into the Port of London Authority in 1909, suffered wartime damage, and after the 1970 closure of the Surrey Commercial Docks passed to Southwark Council. While much of the surrounding Surrey Docks were filled in, Greenland Dock survived and, in 1981, was transferred to the London Docklands Development Corporation for regeneration. Today the dock’s water body provides a venue for leisure activities such as rowing and waterside walking. Access is via the surrounding streets of Rotherhithe, with the dock forming part of the public open space network; no admission charge is mentioned, and basic facilities are supplied by the local authority.

Brunel Museum

Rotherhithe · 0.6 miles

Located in Rotherhithe, Southwark, the former Brunel Engine House now houses the Brunel Museum, a small history museum set within the original infrastructure of the Thames Tunnel. The brick engine house and adjoining tunnel shaft were designed by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel as part of the world’s first underwater tunnel, which opened in 1843. Between 1825 and 1843 the building functioned as a boiler house, powering steam-driven pumps that removed water from the tunnel. From 1961 the structure has displayed information about the tunnel’s construction and the wider work of Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, including a model of the patented tunnelling shield and artefacts from the tunnel’s later use as a pedestrian link between Rotherhithe and Wapping. The chimney and engine house received Grade II listing in 1974, were stabilised by a charitable trust in 1975 and restored in 1979. In 2006 the site was renamed Brunel Museum and its exhibition was expanded with a mural on the shaft and bench-seating incorporating bridge models. A roof garden created in 2012 now hosts a cocktail bar, while the shaft itself has been refurbished for events and occasional tours. The museum participates in the annual Open House Weekend and runs a programme of walks, school-holiday activities and both in-person and online tours. Admission is subject to a charge, and wheelchair access is limited. Opening times are published on the museum’s listing, and the nearest town is Rotherhithe. Facilities were upgraded during major works in 2007, adding a café and improved toilets, and further refurbishment of the shaft in 2016 introduced a freestanding staircase to improve visitor access while preserving the historic brick walls.

Southwark Park

Canada Water · 0.6 miles

Southwark Park is located in Rotherhithe, in central South East London, England, and is managed by the London Borough of Southwark. It first opened in 1869 by the Metropolitan Board of Works as one of its first parks. It was designed by Alexander McKenzie and covers 63 acres (250,000 m2). It takes its name from being in what was the old parliamentary constituency of Southwark at the time of its opening.

King's Stairs Gardens

Rotherhithe · 0.6 miles

Riverside walks and historic memorials give King’s Stairs Gardens a distinct character along the Thames in Bermondsey, just opposite Southwark Park and a short distance from Rotherhithe. The park is bounded to the north by the river and to the south by Jamaica Road (A200), offering views across the water and a direct link to the riverside promenade created in the early 1960s. Within the green space, stone markers commemorate the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of Queen Elizabeth II, the first unveiled by Her Majesty in 1977 and later additions presented by the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The site originated from post-war planning when the London County Council declared Bermondsey a reconstruction area in July 1947 and endorsed a riverside park in early 1948. After a series of objections and a compulsory-purchase order approved in September 1954, a design for the riverside walk was approved in 1960 and opened in November 1962, with the name King’s Stairs Gardens officially adopted the following January. Subsequent phases added grassy areas in the 1960s and, after a reassessment by the Greater London Council in 1968, three further green-space extensions were completed by 1982, establishing the layout that remains today. Protection of the area has been reinforced over recent years. A local campaign in 2010 persuaded Thames Water to abandon plans that would have affected the park, and the London Borough of Southwark granted village-green status in March 2012 under the Commons Act 2006. Fields in Trust added its own safeguard in 2013, and together with the nearby Edward III manor house the garden forms part of Southwark Council’s Edward III’s Rotherhithe Conservation Area.

King Edward Memorial Park Foreshore

Ratcliffe · 0.6 miles

Set on the northern bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the foreshore of King Edward Memorial Park lies close to Ratcliffe and is managed by Thames Water. Covering 3.3 hectares, the site ranks among the larger parks in the borough and carries a Green Flag Award for its standards and biodiversity. Visitors can follow the Thames Path as it runs through the park, use the wheelchair-accessible paths and public toilets, and enjoy a range of facilities including a bandstand, waterfront benches, a children’s play area, a bowling green, an all-weather football pitch and tennis courts. The ground has historic links to the early 16th century, when Sir Hugh Willoughby launched an expedition for the Northeast Passage from the present location; a stone and plaque near the former Rotherhithe Rotunda mark that event. Later, the area hosted the Shadwell Fish Market from 1885 before being converted into a public space. After a planning committee reported on the scheme in 1911, the park was formally opened on 24 June 1922 by King George V and Queen Mary as a memorial to King Edward VII. It now serves the surrounding districts of Shadwell, Wapping, Stepney, Ratcliff and Limehouse, providing a venue for school sports days, religious festivals and everyday recreation.