At about the one-week mark after our move from Kent to Bermondsey in South London we took a walk to Burgess Park. As we had been looking at houses before and after Covid-19 lockdown one of the items on our wish list was to be near a park. Burgess Park seemed to be one that was nearby when we crept, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, closer to Central London. At 140 acres it is a big park and was created from what were originally streets and houses, some bombed out in World War II, others just razed. It also incorporates part of the Grand Surrey Canal, closed in 1970 and filled in.
Because of its history there are still some roads with homes, schools, churches and a mosque that cut into its footprint. We looked at one house on Cobourg Road that had a tiny backyard but was surrounded by the park. However, standing on the sidewalk in front of the house with all the people going to and from the park proper it oddly felt like a prop house on a movie lot. With all the nature and wildlife nearby there was little privacy.
As I exited the park I saw this amusing attempt to bring the park’s inhabitants and visitors together.
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