Parks Management
The Parks in Lewisham are managed under contract through Glendale Grounds Management. They work closely with the London Borough of Lewisham to improve the quality of our Parks and Open Spaces. The Greenscene department oversees the management of parks by Glendale, and directly manages nature conservation sites, allotments and other open spaces. A number of these parks also have Friends Groups, which is a great way for you to get involved in your local site.
Glendale Nature Conservation Officer
Glendale’s Nature Conservation Officer, Emily Millhouse, provides volunteer activities such as Nature’s Gym, community conservation events and school sessions in the local parks by working closely with Lewisham’s Nature Conservation Officer. Other responsibilities include providing advice, assisting with management plans and helping with the Green Flag submissions.
Good Parks for London
For the last three years Parks for London has complied and published a report in to the best parks in London. Lewisham has finished in the the top 3 every year. Taken from their website:
“[We] support and celebrate the amazing work that London boroughs and other land managers do to maintain and develop London’s parks and green spaces. Our aim is that the report be used to promote good practice, raise quality standards and help lobby to protect park budgets and resources. Part one of the report assesses how London borough parks services perform against the ten Good Parks criteria, which include public satisfaction, health and wellbeing, nature, community, sustainability and more. Part two focuses on examples of good practice, topical case studies and news stories.”
Good Parks for London 2022
You can download the report for 2022 and read all about how the work Lewisham are doing. We came third this year behind Southwark and Hackney (congratulations!), but our overall score increased! The judges were particularly impressed with our Strategic Planning work
Good Parks for London 2021
You can download the report for 2021 and read about how Lewisham is doing. This year the theme was Parks and Climate Change and London Borough of Lewisham came out top which a a great testament to all of the hard work of Friends Groups, volunteers, Glendale and the Nature Conservation team put in over the last year. We are always grateful for all of this hard work and this award would not be possible without their help.
The report can now be viewed in all of its glory and more information about Parks for London can be viewed on their website.
Bird Champion
The Bird Champion project is run by Glendale Grounds Management and bird champion volunteers. It aims to survey the park for different species and involve the park users in the park’s biodiversity. A bird feeder is placed in a suitable location in the park and a delegated park user (The Bird Champion/s) will regularly fill the bird feeder and monitor and record the different species and their numbers. The collated data (see below) will show the abundance and diversity of the park’s bird species and give insight to any changes needed in the parks management practices. The information will also support the Lewisham Biodiversity Action Plans for the Song thrush, House sparrow and Black redstart.
If you are interested in becoming a bird champion in your local park, please contact Emily Eillhouse Glendale’s Nature Conservation Officer.
Nature Conservation Lewisham 
Is B P P going to be managed in full by Glendale in 2025
No, the site will not be managed by Glendale, but by Lewisham Council. The buildings are separate
Beckenham Place Park.
I live 5 minutes from the Park and since lockdown it has been a sanity saver. Two years ago there was an amazing wildflower meadow near the railway line close to the Beckenham Hill Station entrance. I started searching for insects and other minibeasts and developed a real interest – eventually I took over 33000 pictures. The meadow was mercilessly hacked down in the summer of 2020 and has not yet grown back.
This year, along with the loss of the flower meadow, the long grass and budding flower field in the river side of the park was mown down just when the pollinators and nectar feeders needed them. I have no idea why they would need to mow down all of it.
The footbridge that crosses the railway has two large green borders that were flattened in the past two days – again large numbers of flowering grasses and umbellifers (cow parsley etc) were destroyed at the height of the pollination season for no obvious reason. I’m not sure if this area is the responsibility of the Park or Network Rail.
The entrance to the river side of the park opposite Beckenham Hill Station has a fenced off area that separates the path from the houses that abut the park. It was loaded with dandelions, buttercups and many flowering grasses. This has also been flattened. To my knowledge no-one has access to this area as the gates are locked and there are no gates in the fences that abut the house gardens. I can’t see any reason for this to be done.
If there is a true biodiversity plan for the Park then I see no reason to cut all the grassed areas to within less than an inch of their lives, especially since there is an acknowledged decrease in the amount of insects and birds in the UK.
Dear Mr Phillips,
Thank you for your comments. The two areas you have mentioned are managed by different people. Are you happy for me to pass you email address and message on to them? Alternatively, you can contact them directly on
beckenhamplacepark@lewisham.gov.uk
Best wishes,
Jess
Please could you let me know in which year the Sensory Garden in Sydenham Wells Park was completed. In particular, the installation of the block of Serpentenite rock that symbolises the old wells. Have you any idea where it came from? Was it the Alps?
Dear Diana, I am afraid I don’t know, but I will pass your message on to the Friends to see if I can find out.
Best wishes,
Jess
I keep asking the question and nobody seems to know – this means it was a long time ago!
The sensory garden was planted in 2008 and the Rock a Rosso Varicossa was bought from the Lake District but purchased from a landscape centre in Kent, since the water has stopped coming out of the top but it is on the list for repair work. The circular bench was placed to celebrate 50th Anniversary of the Christian Aid.
Thanks very much for the information Monika. I am pleased that someone knew the answer. I hope this helps Diana?
Best wishes,
Jess