Course of the River Peck in Peckham Rye Park

Image: © Marathon Taken: 21 Sep 2011

In the 19th century what is now Peckham Rye Park was Homestall Farm. The land for Peckham Rye Park was purchased by the London County Council for £51,000 and declared open on 14 May 1894. Along the west side of the park here, next to Peckham Rye, flowed the River Peck along a new course, after it had been enclosed in 1823. This river rose just to the south of here and after leaving Peckham Rye Park and Common it eventually flowed under the Old Kent Road to the east of Asylum Road before joining another river known as the Earl's Sluice. The combined river joined the Thames at Deptford, where it was widened to form South Dock. This part of Peckham Rye Park can still be very marshy. Where I was standing to take the photograph was very wet and there was a small pond around the tree. However, the River Peck has now been landscaped into the park as a feature, following its original course further east leading from Homestall Road as seen here https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4584442,-0.0618155,16.75z

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