Beneath our feet lies a history stretching back nearly a thousand years. This is Peckham Rye Common. It is a space interwoven with visions of angels, farming communities and wartime memories.
Peckham Rye Common and its surrounding park offer a green escape. They sit south of Peckham in the London Borough of Southwark. The Common and the adjacent Peckham Rye Park form a roughly triangular open space.
The name Peckham comes from the Anglo-Saxon words for village among the hills. Honor Oak, Forest Hill and Telegraph Hill are those hills. Rye refers to the little River Peck. It once flowed across the Rye. You can still see a part of this stream on the west side of Peckham Rye Park.
In 1087, the Domesday Book mentioned Peckham as Pecheha. The land passed through many manors. Henry I gave Peckham to his illegitimate son, Robert the Earl of Gloucester. He became the Lord of the Manor.
For centuries, Peckham was a farming community. Cattle drovers used Peckham Village as a stopping place before heading to London markets. They grazed their herds on the Common while they rested.
The poet William Blake experienced a divine vision here in 1767. He claimed to have seen a tree filled with angels. Bright angelic wings decorated every branch like stars. People later called the tree the Angel Oak. Sadly, it is no longer standing on Peckham Rye.
Other famous figures frequented Peckham. Poet John Donne often stayed with friends. Oliver Goldsmith lived here for a time. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodists, also resided in Peckham.
Development transformed the area from the late 18th century. A map of 1842 shows housing along Rye Lane and East Dulwich Road. It also shows buildings on the east and west sides of the Common. Thomas Tiling introduced a bus service in 1851. It ran from Peckham to the West End. The railway station opened in Rye Lane in 1865. Speculative builders arrived with the railways. They built over the remaining fields and market gardens.
The London County Council purchased land south of the Common in 1868. This purchase secured 49 acres around Homestall Farm. The cost was £51,000. Additional parcels of land were added later as leases expired. Peckham Rye Park officially opened on May 14, 1894. At that time, the park covered 54 acres. One of the park’s first features was an ornamental Old English Garden. It was later renamed the Sexby Garden. This honored Lt-Col JJ Sexby, the London County Council’s first Chief Officer of Parks.
During World War II, part of the Common became a Prisoner of War camp. It housed Italian prisoners of war.
Today, Peckham Rye Common and Park offer diverse attractions. These include a Japanese garden and a weekly Parkrun event.
Peckham Rye even features in Cockney rhyming slang. Peckham Rye means tie, as in necktie. Muriel Spark’s 1960 novel, The Ballad of Peckham Rye, tells the story of a Scotsman moving to the area. More recently, the 2019 movie Blue Story references Peckham Rye. It mentions the location of rival gangs. The 2020 song Comet Face by King Krule also mentions Peckham Rye.
So next time you hear someone mention Peckham Rye, remember its rich history. From angelic visions to wartime camps, this common has seen it all. It remains a vital part of the community, a green space cherished by locals and visitors alike.