Located next to King’s College Hospital and Denmark Hill station, Ruskin Park is a place we like to call home and, at Urban Village, we think it should be awarded the best park in London. Why? Well, not only is it important enough to be one of only 1600 registered parks and gardens in the country, but it’s Green Flag award-winning, unique and has plenty to offer the local community. With a family-friendly and sociable vibe, it’s a hidden gem with something for everyone to love.
Volunteering for the community
Leading the way on ensuring there is a range wide of community activities is the wonderful Friends of Ruskin Park. Led by local people, this independent charity works with Lambeth Council to preserve, protect and improve the park, keeping it well-maintained and loved. Being close to two teaching hospitals, Friends of Ruskin Park also recognise the role the park plays in health and wellbeing in patients, visitors and staff. So much so that King’s College Hospital is building a new 60-bed intensive care wing with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Ruskin Park. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, patients staying in this part of the hospital will be able to move the position of their beds to face the window or turn inwards to see their visitors.
Ruskin Park also offers a tranquil atmosphere to visiting relatives or expectant mothers and fathers, who want to soak up some fresh air and enjoy the nature in the gorgeous wildlife garden. Or take part in the organised guided walk, which is geared towards improving mental health.
Before the pandemic, Friends of Ruskin Park were always on the lookout for regular volunteers who can assist with gardening and community allotment digs. Full of enthusiasm, since August, they have even transformed the two long flower beds outside the Labyrinth Garden, and we’ve got to say, they look amazing. Keep an eye on their website for volunteering updates if you’d like to take part.
Being at one with nature!
While Ruskin Park may be relatively small as far as other London parks go, it certainly packs it all into a beautiful natural park. There are some 870 trees, known as Lambeth’s arboretum, which is protected by a volunteer tree group. And one such tree that captures the attention of most visitors is the giant Oak Tree, which you can find by the north entrance to the park, near Finsen Road. Recently, one of its fallen branches has been carved into a magnificent work of art, which attracts a lot of attention.
So popular with everyone who visits the park, Friends of Ruskin Park offer a Tree Trail Walk – free to follow, it starts at Denmark Hill entrance next to King’s College Hospital and is an excellent way to spend the afternoon – just remember to take a socially-distanced winter picnic.
Alongside the trees, Ruskin Park is also home to a nature reserve with a natural pond, newts and bats and, during the autumn months, visitors can take part in a Bat Walk – a twilight walk for all the family. With sonic bat detectors, you can join the walk to see bats in their natural setting – just remember to wear layers and bring a torch. But for something a little warmer, at Urban Village we love the bandstand concerts throughout the summer. While this year has been a little different, these concerts create a strong sense of community and freedom, and we can’t wait to see people come together in 2021 for more musical delights. These events are also another free offering from Ruskin Park, and usually run fortnightly from July to September.
Get moving in Ruskin Park
Providing many activities for all ages, the entire park is approximately 2km in circumference, so it’s a nice easy reward for the less ambitious runner. But for those of you with more stamina, the TLCC Flying Trapeze School is a wonderful addition – simply book your lesson online and enjoy a full-on trapeze lesson with skilled experts. Yes, you really can learn to fly!
If you prefer to keep your feet firmly on the ground, Steel Warriors’s outdoor community gym is right up your street. With their slogan ‘Put down and pull up’, they’re on a mission to take knives off the street and melt them down into outdoor steel gyms. Free to use, the gym already has a huge following and it’s fascinating to watch the gymnastic skills playing out all year round – and the good news is, they have reopened from 2nd December, post-lockdown 2.0.
The recently refurbished tennis courts on the Denmark Hill side are also a great place to get those endorphins going – always busy, they’re enjoyed by all levels of players, including lessons for children. And the traditional playground for under 12s is ideal for burning off the kids’ extra energy – with a local café, serving ice creams, tea and fish finger sandwiches, you can take a break too while they tackle the climbing frame. Fully COVID-19 safe, the café is run by sisters Magda and Gaia, with community and friendship at the heart of it.
Next to the playground is the iconic paddling pool, which draws the biggest crowd on the long hot summer days; overlooked by a terrific Mural – which Urban Village commissioned in 2017 –showcasing some of the activities in the park.
To see Ruskin Park in all its glory, we recommend a visit to the iconic Portico. Not to be missed, this has just undergone a successful refurbishment and gives a lovely view from Denmark Hill down and across the park. With seats protected by a cover, you can even enjoy the sights on rainy days.
If Ruskin Park sounds like the kind of place you’d like to have on your doorstep, Urban Village would like to help you find your dream house in the area. With our local knowledge, we are experts on how you can make this urban village your new home. Contact us or give us a call on 0203 519 9121 for some friendly advice about your property journey and chat to one of our experienced agents.