Brookmill Park, formerly known as Ravensbourne Park, is a small public park and nature reserve located in

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

and is in the

London Borough of Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is a London boroughs, London borough in south-east London, England. It forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham. The local authority is Lewisham London Borough Council, based in Catford. The ...

. It runs parallel to Brookmill Road and the

River Ravensbourne The River Ravensbourne is a tributary of the River Thames in south London, England. It flows north from near Bromley into the tidal River Thames at Deptford, where its tidal reach is known as Deptford Creek. Geography The Ravensbourne is ...

. It is located between Deptford Bridge and Elverson Road on the

Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated medium-capacity rail system, light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped London Docklands, Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financi ...

(DLR).

History of the park

The park began life in 1880 as a small recreation ground near the Kent Waterworks' reservoir, which supplied water to homes in Deptford and

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

, drawing water from the Ravensbourne. In the 1920s, part of the by then disused reservoir was infilled and added to the area, creating Brookmill Park. Nearby housing in Brookmill Road was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and cleared ground was used to enlarge the park, which re-opened in 1951 as Ravensbourne Park. In 1965, Lewisham and Deptford were amalgamated into one London borough and the park reverted to its earlier name of Brookmill. During DLR extension to Lewisham in the 1990s, the River Ravensbourne was rerouted. Most of the park to the east of the river was used for the DLR track and the Ravensbourne's new channel became the eastern boundary of the park. The park was re-landscaped by W.S. Atkins, also incorporating a site that had belonged to

Thames Water Thames Water Utilities Limited, trading as Thames Water, is a British private utility company responsible for the water supply and waste water Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking w ...

as a formal garden with ponds, pergolas and flowerbeds. The park reopened in 1998.

Layout and notable features

The park runs parallel to the River Ravensbourne along its eastern side and Brookmill Road on the western side. It covers an area of , or if the River Ravensbourne is included. Part of the former reservoir remains as a small lake within the park – this had been drained but was reinstated after a local campaign. The footpath and cycle path in the park are part of the

Waterlink Way Waterlink Way is a cyclepath and walking route in List of sub regions used in the London Plan, South East London. It extends from South Norwood Country Park (near Elmers End station) to the Cutty Sark ship in Greenwich, a total of eight miles. ...

, which runs through Lewisham and

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

. They also form part of

National Cycle Route 21 National Cycle Route 21 (or NCR 21) is part of the United Kingdom's National Cycle Network. It runs from Greenwich in South-East London south to Crawley, then east to Groombridge and south to Eastbourne, with a short final loop northwards again ...

, which extends from the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

at Creekside to

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

Biodiversity

The lake is surrounded by mature trees, including London planes. The south of the park contains an area of native plants on disused railway embankment. With areas of marsh, water and grassland, some of which floods at high tides, the park is considered an important nature conservation area within the borough of Lewisham. Bird species sighted at the park include

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...

moorhen Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula'', Latin for "little hen." They are close relatives of coots. They are ...

, little egret, goldcrest and grey wagtails. Species found in the river Ravensbourne include stone loach, miller's thumb and invertebrates including gammarus, caddisfly and olives.

References

{{Reflist

External sources

Description and maps showing location of former Kent Waterworks
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Lewisham Deptford