Brockwell ParkAccessibility Guide
Our map of Brockwell Park highlights things to see or do, whether you are disabled, have reduced mobility, care for an adult or child with a SEND or just want to get out to improve your physical health and wellbeing.
Download Map (6MB)
Tailor a visit to meet your needs, or those of the person you care for. The park has something for everyone (even if the park is not yet fully accessible).
Please scroll down for lots of useful and interesting information.
You can stroll the flatter areas, or sit in the Walled Garden and spend quiet time in nature.
For those with energy to burn, there is lots of space to run, or clamber in the rest of the park.
We hope this guide will inspire users to make the most of the park and to contribute ideas for its future enhancement. Tell us what you think by emailing: info@brockwellpark.com
*Where park facilities are unsupervised, please take care. Use is at your own risk*
Please note that this map is designed specifically to highlight the more accessible parts of the park that are open to the public. For detailed information on all of the park, please refer to the Management Plan maps produced by BPCP (Brockwell Park Community Partners). Website: brockwellparkcommunitypartners.org.uk
Visiting the park
Getting there
On foot: 12 park gates (open from 7.30am to 15mins before sunset) provide access from most directions - marked in Green on the map.
Buses : 2, 3, 37, 68, 196, 201, 322, 415, 432, 468
Trains: Herne Hill (step free) is the nearest station. Tulse Hill Station (not step free) is approx 15 minutes to the South and Brixton Underground (step free) approx 15 minutes to the North.
Car or bike: Some limited parking in the car park by the lido, including 4 disabled spaces. There are also some pay and display places (free for Blue Badge holders) close to park entrances at Arlingford Road and Brockwell Park Gardens.
Wheelchair access to the park: Some park gates are more accessible than others . The gates at Arlingford Road, Brixton Water Lane and Brockwell Park Gardens are step-free, with pay and display parking nearby (free for Blue badge holders). There is also a ramp option (steep) from Tulse Hill Gate. For additional details, such as gate widths, etc, go to www.AccessAble.co.uk and check out their overview of Brockwell Park.
Around the park
Brockwell Park has a varied landscape with a mix of flat and hilly areas. The highest spot of all is around Brockwell Hall (on our map, the higher parts of the park are tinted mid- green, while flatter parts are pale green).
Two of the flatter walking routes are indicated by coloured lines on the map as ‘Stroll A’ (pink) and ‘Stroll B’ (yellow)
There are formal areas set aside for organised sport and play, plus wilder, more natural areas with rough grass, woodland edge and fallen logs (circled in dark green)
Water fountains are dotted around the park (closed for COVID -19 at present) and there are two cafes – at Brockwell Hall and the Lido
A planned (tbc) overhaul of Brockwell Hall will lead to better facilities, including more accessible toilets
Toilets
There are toilets, including disabled access ones, at Brockwell Hall and near the BMX track and playground. Also (for children and their carers) inside the main playground area.
There are additional toilets (not disabled access) outside the Walled Garden
Brockwell Hall & café
The climb up the hill to Brockwell Hall is quite steep (elevation of 26 meters above the Brixton Water Lane gate), but the reward is fine views over London and a café, with plenty of outdoor seating
Smooth pathways lead up to the hall, some with large inclines. Level paths wind around the hall complex and there are accessible toilets leading off these
Steps lead up to the entrance to the café. There is also a temporary ramp (large slope, so use with caution and at your own risk) provided by the cafe
Grass and woodland
Grassy paths, woodland or fallen logs in more naturalistic settings
These wilder areas are also more uneven underfoot, so take extra care
Ponds and wetlands
Good for strolling round, to spot wildlife in and around the ponds, or listen to the sound of water
Smooth pathways, mainly level, with some gentle inclines. Multiple seating areas by main pond.
All pond and wetland areas are protected by park railings approximately 1 meter high.
Walled Garden
A quiet space for reflection, this tranquil garden has plenty of colour all year round. There are many sensory plants as well as a pond and other features.
Paved, mainly flat but with some unevenness. Multiple seating areas. Water feature is surrounded by railings, approx 1 meter high. Single gated exit/entrance to the Walled Garden. On Thursdays and weekends, there is also an obscured entrance to the Community Greenhouses to the rear right hand side of the Walled Garden.
Community Greenhouses
Promote physical and mental wellbeing through volunteer-led garden projects indoors and out with seasonal workshops.
Open, flat tarmac areas plus some more restricted footpaths through garden bedding. Check website for opening times and events: www.brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk
Accessible toilet available to workshop participants
Pollinator friendly areas
Look and listen for bees, butterflies and other pollinators busy among the flowers in these areas
Sports activities
Do your own thing, walking, running, using the trim trail around the park.
Or use the tarmac sports surface near the Lido and Car Park to exercise. On it, there is also an outdoor Ping Pong table (bring your own equipment).
Tennis courts, a basketball court and cricket nets are all bookable.
There may be opportunities for children and young people with SEND to participate in sessions at the BMX cycle track and St.Matthews Football Project.
For further details of who to contact for bookings for any of the above, check the Brockwell Park Community Partners website: brockwellparkcommunitypartners.org.uk/sports-facilities
Or: www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/lambeth/lambethparks/facilities
Brockwell Lido & Café
Outdoor swimming, year round: www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/brockwell-lido/
Paid for, with concessions available. Accessible toilets and bookable hoist
The Lido café overlooks the pool but is independently run
Café approach is via a low ramp. There is a unisex toilet, exclusively for customer use
Further details of lido and café for wheelchair users from: www.AccessAble.co.uk/venues/brockwell-lido
Car Park
Free car parking for up to 2 hours by the Lido, then charges apply
4 disabled parking spaces
Miniature Railway
The railway runs along the edge of the park for about 220 meters in a flat area between the Lido car park and Herne Hill main gate. Operates weekends, March to October – check website for opening times
Paid for, Lambeth children and adults with a SEND go free. If you have any queries, check with the volunteers who run it: www.travelbpmr.com
Sensory ‘touchpoints’
The park is full of interesting trees and other features to look at and explore. We have marked some of particular interest for their visual and sensory appeal and called these ‘touchpoints’.
Clock Tower – press your ear to the metal base and you should be able to hear the clockwork mechanism ticking. Situated at the top of the hill, near Brockwell Hall
Great oak tree – feel the bark on this ancient tree - thought to date back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Located on the slope between Brockwell Hall and the Norwood Road Gate
Giant conker – carved from a tree trunk by artist Daniel Sodhi-Miles. Find it close to the Brixton Water Lane Gate
Victorian water trough – made from granite, this drinking trough for horses and other animals is now used as a planter for flowers. It is on the path near the Norwood Road Gate
Brockwell Bird – a cast iron sculpture created by artist Lucy Casson. Look for it in the Walled Garden by one of the benches
Stinkpipe – tap this distinctive, fluted cast iron pole and you’ll hear it’s hollow. It was installed in Victorian times, to dispel smells from the then polluted River Effra , flowing underground near Rosendale Gate.
Routes round flatter areas of the park to help improve your fitness level
Walking the circumference of the park, using the tarmac footpaths, is 1.75 miles (2.6 km) or an average of 3412 steps, with a mix of flat and hilly sections. If you don’t want to go full circle, here are a couple of gentler strolling suggestions:
Stroll A: Arlingford Road gate up to the ponds and back to the start, amounts to about 1230 steps. (An additional c 450 steps will take you up to the Community Greenhouses, past the Walled Garden)
Stroll B: Brixton Water Lane gate to the Vehicle entrance in Brockwell Park Gardens amounts to about 2500 steps (if you don’t want to walk on round the park to your start point, bus 196 from Norwood Road will drop you back at the Brixton Water Lane gate).
COVID:
As with all amenities during this exceptional time, please follow the guidelines when out and about, including wearing face masks indoors and sanitising hands after exploring park features