Is "Peckham Rye Park" really "East Dulwich Park"?

[Quaywe]

OK EDF'er,

I was browsing around ED on Streetmap the other day to see if there was anything I hadn't yet discovered about our beloved ED. I ended up looking over Peckham Rye Park/Common and noticed something interesting; did you know that Peckham Rye Park (the nice part of the green) and Common are actually (mostly) within SE22? So why the crap name? Is it because it's named after the road (which is also in SE22) rather than the suburb?

I know that Peckham Rye Common/Park has a bad perception with a lot of people, especially us ED snobs who would rather venture to Dulwich Park instead (if you like prams and dog poo). Personally I love Peckham Rye Park - it's a hidden treasure that not many people know about. They see the Common (the Peckham end of the green) and think it's all just a blank green for people to play footy on, but it's not. The Park is beautiful with a pond, private areas to picnic, lovely gardens, ducks and playgrounds.

I wonder what everyone's thoughts would be on renaming Peckham Rye Park/Common to East Dulwich Park/Common

( http://www.foprp.org.uk/ blood begins to boil I'm sure)? I think it would improve the perception of the Park with ED'ers AND it would simply be aligning it to the suburb in which it actually IS - East Dulwich!

So forumites - what do you think? Am I off my rocker or do I have a point?

Check it out: http://streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=534750&y=174750&z=1&sv=534750,174750&st=4&ar=N&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf

[Parker's Folly]

Quaywe Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> OK EDF'er,

>

> I was browsing around ED on Streetmap the other

> day to see if there was anything I hadn't yet

> discovered about our beloved ED. I ended up

> looking over Peckham Rye Park/Common and noticed

> something interesting; did you know that Peckham

> Rye Park (the nice part of the green) and Common

> are actually (mostly) within SE22? So why the

> crap name? Is it because it's named after the

> road (which is also in SE22) rather than the

> suburb?

>

> I know that Peckham Rye Common/Park has a bad

> perception with a lot of people, especially us ED

> snobs who would rather venture to Dulwich Park

> instead (if you like prams and dog poo).

> Personally I love Peckham Rye Park - it's a hidden

> treasure that not many people know about. They

> see the Common (the Peckham end of the green) and

> think it's all just a blank green for people to

> play footy on, but it's not. The Park is

> beautiful with a pond, private areas to picnic,

> lovely gardens, ducks and playgrounds.

>

> I wonder what everyone's thoughts would be on

> renaming Peckham Rye Park/Common to East Dulwich

> Park/Common

> ( http://www.foprp.org.uk/ blood begins to boil

> I'm sure)? I think it would improve the

> perception of the Park with ED'ers AND it would

> simply be aligning it to the suburb in which it

> actually IS - East Dulwich! Not to mention what

> it would do for ED house prices near it.

>

> So forumites - what do you think? Am I off my

> rocker or do I have a point?

>

> Check it out:

> http://streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=534750&y=17475

> 0&z=1&sv=534750,174750&st=4&ar=N&mapp=newmap.srf&s

> earchp=newsearch.srf

Personally I've never found this park inferior to Dulwich Park. As a person who enjoys outdoors, since moving to this part of London I've made a concerted effort to discover as many green spaces as possible, so I've explored these two parks along with Horniman Gardens, the fantastic Dulwich and Sydenham Woods, Crystal Palace Park, Nunhead Cemetery and even One Tree Hill. I know a lot of these aren't in SE22 but they are lovely anyway.

Peckham Rye used to be a lot bigger than it is now, and if I'm not mistaken, even the land stretching up to Goose Green once formed part of the greater common land, before being eaten up by housing development in the late 19th century.

[*Bob*]

Quite right! How dare such a nice and well-kept park be associated in name with the shame of Peckham - despite being so-called for 100 years. In fact, we could grab the park and then re-name all of SE22 as 'Chelsea Borders' - to 'help' with house prices.

Did anyone on the forum actually buy a house here to just.. you know.. live in it - without constantly obsessing about its value?

[Mark]

I did, I bought a home for me to live in and I think that's one reason I like East Dulwich so much is that it's not an "investment stop-over" for me.

But this is about Peckham Rye, I like it too, I like playing football on there and just walking around it. If the name Peckham Rye keeps people away then I'm quite happy that people who are put off because of a park's name stay away. Makes it less busy.

[kingtubby]

Er EDKiwi

As you asked, you are off your rocker.

As long as a green space is well kept, reasonably dog free (speaking as a runner) and the kids are not hanging out in gangs sniffing glue (some chance), I don't care what it is called.

I agree with Bob. Relax....

[James]

EDKiwi are you joking!? I love it when people come to visit and their preconception of Peckham Rye Park (a patch of dead grass with a burnt out Escort) is totally shattered by what is, in my opinion, even better than Dulwich Park (apart from the lack of Cafe and London Recumbents). Why disassociate ourselves from Peckham? Who cares what snobby people think?

[beth]

Plus what about the literary associations i.e. 'The Ballad of Peckham Rye'

[Alan Dale]

removed

[spadetownboy]

and its got a golf course as well.

[Jeremy]

Quaywe Wrote:

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Not to mention what

> it would do for ED house prices near it.

Seriously, enough about house prices Kiwi. The only people who really benefit from this are people who are planning to leave the area and cash in. Which makes the situation worse for those of us who would like to make this area their permanent home.

[*Bob*]

The 'Rye' side of SE22 is much more appealing anyway. Quieter streets, short walk to LL, nicer and more spacious houses, better transport options and, last but not least, a great park right on your doorstep.

[Quaywe]

ok I've removed the comment about house prices...my point was really about that fact that the park IS in ED, not Peckham so just wondered if it should be named accordingly.

[swiders]

hey, thats a great idea you've got there - rename something so as to attach a greater value to it on the basis that the neighbouring property or area is far more salubrious/wealthy/has greater economic value.

i hereby rename your country of birth "East Australia" and you shall from this point forth be called "EDEastAussie". Sounds like a fair application of your theory to me?

Seriously.

[Jah Lush]

beth Wrote:

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> Plus what about the literary associations i.e.

> 'The Ballad of Peckham Rye'

That's right Beth and William Blake had his "visions" on the Rye too. In fact I used to go there to pick shrooms so I could have my own "visions". Highly recommended though after a stroll on the Rye is a pint or two in the Clockhouse or further up the road the Herne Tavern.

[AcedOut]

Let's just rename East Dulwich to South Chelsea and Lordship Lane to King's Road.

[Jah Lush]

Already been done. Battersea is already commonly known as south Chelsea.

[mockney piers]

Is Croydon North still available?

[Quaywe]

swiders Wrote:

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> i hereby rename your country of birth "East

> Australia" and you shall from this point forth be

> called "EDEastAussie". Sounds like a fair

> application of your theory to me?

Swiders - The "West Island" has nothing on us folks from the mainland ;-)

Try and think of it this way: If England was within the boundaries of Wales it surely wouldn't be called England would it. Surely the Welsh would want to called it Aberwwjjtteraflyyd or something Welsh wouldn't they?

Anyway, I get the general consensus - Peckham Rye Park should stay as it is. A bit of healthy debate a wonderful thing though! :)

[Peckham native]

Off your rocker I'm afraid. While Peckham Rye Common is in SE15 and Peckham Rye Park is in SE22 I think you'll find that the area surrounding the park has always been called Peckham Rye:) Peckham and Dulwich were around as villages before East Dulwich. When developments spread we got East Dulwich West Dulwich etc. Perhaps we sould rename East Dulwich South Peckham!!

Growing up in Peckham we used to 'go up the park' or 'go down the swings' at least twice a week and the park was a busy place and you didn't dare upset the park keepers. Glad to see it have its recent makeover but it was a bit of a shock when we first went back recently to see parents allowing their kids to run through the flower beds.

[*Bob*]

Quaywe Wrote:

> Try and think of it this way: If England was

> within the boundaries of Wales it surely wouldn't

> be called England would it?

What a fantastically bizarre analogy! Love it.

[Ko]

Peckham Rye Common and Park are absolutely lovely. Its a huge space and there are quite a few people out and about there at the weekend, but its still peaceful - nice in summer when Dulwich Park gets a bit overun. I live slap bang in the middle of Dulwich Park and Peckham Common so its nice to have a choice.

The gardens were all spruced up about a year ago with a lottery grant but it was still nice even before that. The name should be kept, especially with the history of William Blake having a vision of angels there.

[euphorbia]

James Wrote:

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>even better than Dulwich Park (apart from

> the lack of Cafe and London Recumbents)

The new build on the Rye (between the one o'clock club and the recycling bins) is going to be a cafe - confirmed on the smart new map they have put up next to it.

Could this be where Starbucks are re-locating too?

[Alan Dale]

removed

[Peckham native]

My mum remembers the Rye being ploughed and used to grow crops fairly unsucessfully during the war and the huts up near the park entrance housed Italian POWs. Although they weren't really prisoners as they were allowed out and about during the day.

Its only fairly recently that the old concrete bomb shelters were filled in on the corner of Peckham Rye and East Dulwich Road. I still call that junction the Kings Arms although the pub is long gone.

[Louisa]

Peckham Rye park was orignally Homestall Farm, which was bought by the London Development Corporation in 1880, whcih was an addition to the common which was being slightly overstretched. Peckham Rye is technically a parish and a ward, which has been in existance ever since this part of London was taken out of Surrey. "Peckham Rye" is actually a place, hence the confusion with the train station in Peckham also going by the same name.. I think in geographical terms, Peckham counts as anywhere north of rye lane, and Peckham Rye anywhere to the south bordering ED. I think people who live around that area consider themselves to be mostly Peckham Rye folk, rather than ED or Peckham, so therefore, despite the SE22 postcode, it is a very distinctive community.