Royal Surrey Gardens

Royal Surrey Gardens once stretched across 15 acres east of Kennington Park Road, where a three-acre lake reflected the Victorian skyline. The grounds belonged to Walworth manor before Edward Cross bought the site in 1831. He opened Surrey Zoological Gardens, bringing lions, tigers, a rhinoceros and giraffes from his Exeter Exchange menagerie. A vast glass conservatory, 300 feet round and clad in more than 6,000 square feet of glass, housed the big cats. Native and exotic trees lined paths between picturesque pavilions, creating a green theatre for Londoners. The gardens became famous for spectacular entertainments such as re-enactments of Mount Vesuvius erupting and firework displays copied from Vauxhall Gardens. After Cross died, the zoo closed and the land was cleared for Surrey Music Hall, a cast-iron rectangle that seated 12,000 people. The hall hosted military festivals for Mary Seacole and concerts by Louis Antoine Jullien, mixing classical and dance music. Charles Spurgeon preached to crowds of 10,000 each weekend until a fire panic killed seven people in 1856, yet he returned for further services. Today the smaller Pasley Park preserves the memory with an information board and two ostrich sculptures. A flag pole shaped like a giraffe’s neck stands beside the Southwark flag. A plaque honours Sergeant Frank Stubbs VC, linking the modern park to its Victorian past.