Peckham Rye Common (London) | common land (UK)

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Peckham Rye Common was bought in 1868 and has been maintained since as common land. The area to the south of the common was opened in 1894 as Peckham Rye Park and features some more formal gardens, a small lake, an adventure playground and some open areas of grass.

This is where Blake saw a vision of the Archangel Gabriel sitting in an oak tree.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peckham_Rye
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Coordinates:   51°27'41"N   -0°3'39"E

Comments

  • Both the Rye and Rye Park were secured as open land by the Parish of Camberwell who raised the money, the Rye though common land was in danger of being built on. The Park was constructed on what had been Homestall Farm and is laid out in tradional Victorian style. The land to the south was finally built over in the 1920s and 30s.
  • If you wonder what's the difference between a park and a common, here it is. A park is for recreation like walking, running, playing, but a common means that while it is generally used for the same purposes as a park, technically you could graze livestock on it, collect firewood or use the turf as fuel. In a park this would not be allowed as it would spoil it for everyone else - commons are pretty cool!
This article was last modified 6 years ago