We list 11 free playgrounds near Dulwich, from Dulwich Park and Peckham Rye to the Horniman, with ages, toilets, cafes and gate times. Checked October 2026.

The playgrounds most Dulwich families end up at are Dulwich Park, a large playground for children up to 14 next to the lake and cafe; Peckham Rye Park, which also has a staffed adventure playground that reopened in March 2026; Brockwell Park in Herne Hill; and the new Kusuma Nature Play area at the Horniman. Every entry was checked against the council’s or the owner’s own page on 26 October 2026.

All are free. In winter most parks lock up before 5pm, so check the closing time before a late afternoon trip.

Dulwich and West Dulwich

1. Dulwich Park, College Road

Southwark Council describes the 29-hectare Green Flag park as having “a large children’s playground” for children up to 14, with four outdoor table tennis tables in the play area (the Dulwich Clock Café lends a limited number of bats and balls). The playground was installed around 2001.

In September 2025 the Dulwich Park Friends finished a crowdfunding appeal with the council to replace its worn surface, and said the wooden fort was “nearing the end of its safe life”.

Address College Road, SE21 7BQ
Open gates open 7.30am
Parking at the College Road entrance
Toilets by the main car park, in the Francis Peek Centre and behind the Dulwich Clock Café
Cafe Dulwich Clock Café, 8am to 5.30pm (6pm on Sat)
Ages up to 14
Access trains to West Dulwich or North Dulwich; buses P4 and P13
Price boating lake £4 a child for 30 minutes in season
Website southwark.gov.uk/culture-and-sport/parks-and-open-spaces/find-park/dulwich-park
Good for table tennis, boating lake, cafe, Green Flag park

Belair is the Grade II listed former grounds of Belair House, built in 1785, with a lake made by damming the River Effra. The council’s page lists a children’s playground for children up to 14, a free skate park with no booking, a tennis court and football and cricket pitches.

The playground sits on the open lawn near the lake, as the photograph above shows. Barbecues are not allowed.

Belair House itself is a restaurant rather than a park cafe.

Address Gallery Road, SE21
Open daily from 7.30am; closing time varies through the year
Parking at the Gallery Road entrance
Ages up to 14
Access entrances on Gallery Road and Thurlow Park Road; West Dulwich station is a short walk; the P4 bus passes
Website southwark.gov.uk/culture-and-sport/parks-and-open-spaces/find-park/belair-park
Good for free skate park, tennis court, football and cricket pitches, lake, Grade II listed

3. Sunray Gardens, Sunray Avenue

A smaller park on the Herne Hill side of Dulwich, once part of the gardens of Casino House. Southwark lists it among its other parks and gardens: refurbished in 2001, it keeps much of its original landscape, with a large lake as its main feature, a children’s play area and a multi-use games area.

It is a neighbourhood park rather than a day out, but it is useful if you live between Herne Hill and Red Post Hill.

Address Sunray Avenue, SE22 (council listing)
Toilets none listed
Cafe none listed
Good for lake, children's play area, multi-use games area

East Dulwich and Peckham Rye

4. Goose Green, East Dulwich

Goose Green was common land preserved as public open space by the Camberwell Vestry, according to Southwark, and its playground sits at the top of Lordship Lane. The playground is mid-way through changes: the council’s Goose Green play area project says the play tower had been removed and that it has funding to replace it and the goal area.

Residents chose between designs from three play companies in a survey that ran from 18 June to 20 July 2025. We could not find a confirmed installation date, so expect some of the playground to look different from older photographs.

Address East Dulwich Road and Lordship Lane, SE22
Good for playground, goal area, common land

5. Peckham Rye Park: playground and adventure playground

Peckham Rye Park has two kinds of play. The open children’s playground is next to the skate park and the outdoor gym, which was renewed in 2023, the council says.

Separately, the Peckham Rye Park Adventure Playground is staffed by trained playworkers. It reopened in March 2026 after a £574,000 refurbishment that added climbing equipment and new swings (UK Construction News).

Session times change by season, so check OneHub Southwark first.

Address Peckham Rye, SE22 0SH
Open park from 7.30am; the common never closes; adventure playground sessions change by season
Parking small car park on Strakers Road
Toilets with baby changing, near Strakers Road and by the adventure playground
Cafe Round Café, 8am to 6.30pm
Ages adventure playground 8 to 15, or up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities
Price adventure playground free
Booking adventure playground needs a parent or carer at the first visit to register
Website southwark.gov.uk/culture-and-sport/parks-and-open-spaces/find-park/peckham-rye-park-and-common
Good for staffed adventure playground, skate park, outdoor gym, baby changing

Herne Hill and Camberwell

6. Brockwell Park, Herne Hill

Lambeth Council lists “a large children’s playground and wet play area” in Brockwell Park, a Green Flag park that opened to the public in 1892. The wet play area normally runs from the last Saturday in May to the last weekend in September; it can shut on some days for repairs, so the council asks you to check first.

Time Out describes the playground as having an aerial slide, a big sandpit and sections for different ages. The park also has a ride-on miniature railway and a BMX track, both run by community groups.

Address Norwood Road, SE24 9BJ
Open 7.30am to 15 minutes before sunset
Access Herne Hill station is a short walk from the Norwood Road gate
Price wet play area free
Website lambeth.gov.uk/parks/brockwell-park
Good for wet play area in summer, aerial slide, sandpit, miniature railway, BMX track, Green Flag park

7. Ruskin Park, Denmark Hill

Ruskin Park, opened in 1907 and named after John Ruskin, sits next to King’s College Hospital. Lambeth lists a children’s playground, a seasonal paddling pool, a refreshment kiosk, toilets and an outdoor gym, as well as a wooden bandstand and a wildlife area with a pond. In 2023 Lambeth and the Friends of Ruskin Park consulted on a larger replacement playground, designed with Kompan, “to cater for children of all ages”, with new entrances linking it to the paddling pool, kiosk and toilets.

Address Denmark Hill, SE5 8EL
Open 7am to 15 minutes before sunset
Toilets yes
Cafe refreshment kiosk
Access Denmark Hill station is closest
Website lambeth.gov.uk/parks/ruskin-park
Good for seasonal paddling pool, outdoor gym, bandstand, wildlife area with a pond

8. Burgess Park, Camberwell and Walworth

Southwark’s largest park, at 56 hectares, reopened in 2012 after an £8 million redesign. The council lists “colourful, state-of-the-art play and climbing equipment” for children up to 14, with separate play areas for under-fives and over-fives, and water play jets at Chumleigh Gardens in summer.

There is also a 400-metre BMX track open to anyone after an induction.

The under-fives playground has reopened after a refurbishment costing more than £100,000, the council said on 2 November 2026. It now has a new slide, swings with inclusive seats, a cradle seat, a wheelchair carousel and easier access to the sandpit.

Address Albany Road, SE5
Open never closes
Parking on Albany Road, 8am to 6pm
Toilets at Chumleigh Gardens, the tennis pavilion cafe at Addington Square, the sports centre on Cobourg Road, the BMX track and by the fishing lake
Cafe tennis pavilion cafe, Addington Square
Ages up to 14; separate areas for under-fives and over-fives (under-fives area refurbished in 2026, with a wheelchair carousel)
Access buses 12, 35, 40, 45, 68 and 468 stop on Camberwell Road
Website southwark.gov.uk/culture-and-sport/parks-and-open-spaces/find-park/burgess-park
Good for water play jets in summer, BMX track, fishing lake

Peckham and Nunhead

9. Warwick Gardens, Lyndhurst Way

A small park off Lyndhurst Way that opened in 1910, according to the London Gardens Trust, and has held a Green Flag since 2012, according to Southwark’s Green Flag list. The council calls its play area “a meeting point for local families”, next to a five-a-side pitch for kickabouts.

With no cafe or toilets listed, it suits a short trip from Peckham Rye or Bellenden Road rather than an afternoon.

Address Lyndhurst Way, SE15
Toilets none listed
Cafe none listed
Good for play area, five-a-side pitch, Green Flag park

10. Nunhead Green, Nunhead Lane

Nunhead’s village green sits between Nunhead Lane and Evelina Road. Southwark lists picnic tables, a children’s play area, a platform for performances and works by local artists.

It is a small green rather than a park, handy for younger children and close to the shops on Evelina Road.

Address Nunhead Lane, SE15
Good for younger children, picnic tables, children's play area, local artworks

A short trip south

11. Kusuma Nature Play, Horniman Gardens, Forest Hill

The Horniman’s new play area opened in May 2026 at the bottom of its 16-acre gardens, as part of its 125th anniversary project. The museum’s own page describes a wooden jetty with a slide, climbing webs, lookout points, a basket swing and equipment themed on local wildlife, including a robin area with eggs.

Children must be supervised. Garden hours are on the Horniman’s plan your visit page.

Address 100 London Road, SE23 3PQ
Open gardens from 7.15am (8am Sun and bank holidays); close 4.20pm from 25 October 2026 to 7 February 2027
Toilets accessible, with baby changing, by the play area
Cafe the new Gardens Cafe, run by Colicci, next door
Access some paths are steep and can be slippery when wet, the Horniman says
Price free
Booking not needed
Website horniman.ac.uk/explore/gardens/kusuma-nature-play
Good for nature play, slide, climbing webs, basket swing, baby changing

How we chose

These are the playgrounds people around Dulwich search for, chosen on what can be checked: the size and age range the council or owner publishes, toilets and cafes nearby, and how easily families from SE21, SE22, SE24 and SE15 can reach them. Every fact comes from Southwark Council, Lambeth Council or the Horniman’s own pages, and we say so where it comes from anywhere else. We left out Dog Kennel Hill, which Southwark lists as a woodland with a picnic area rather than a playground, and Sydenham Hill Wood, which is a nature reserve. Two playgrounds here, Goose Green and Dulwich Park, have work planned or under way, and winter closing times change every few weeks, so check before you set off.

Run a playground or park group that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@dulwichtoday.co.uk.

For more locally, see things to do in Dulwich, what’s on in Dulwich this month, October half term in Dulwich, our guides to Dulwich cafes, restaurants, pubs and Sunday roasts, and the Dulwich business directory.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest playground near Dulwich?

Dulwich Park has what Southwark Council calls a large children’s playground for children up to 14, with a cafe, toilets and four outdoor table tennis tables beside it. Burgess Park has separate play areas for under-fives and over-fives, and Brockwell Park in Herne Hill has a large playground with a wet play area in summer.

Are there paddling pools or splash parks near Dulwich?

Yes, in summer only. Lambeth runs the wet play area in Brockwell Park from the last Saturday in May to the last weekend in September, and Ruskin Park has a seasonal paddling pool. Burgess Park has water play jets at Chumleigh Gardens in summer. All are free and all are shut in winter.

What time do the Dulwich parks close in winter?

Dulwich Park, Belair Park and Peckham Rye Park open at 7.30am and close at times that change through the year. Brockwell Park opens at 7.30am and Ruskin Park at 7am, both closing 15 minutes before sunset. The Horniman Gardens close at 4.20pm from 25 October 2026 to 7 February 2027. Burgess Park and Peckham Rye Common never close.