Dulwich Park

Opening times

Dulwich Park's gates open daily at 7.30am. Closing times vary throughout the year - see our opening times page for more information.

Location

College Road, SE21
Entrances - College Gate, College Road, Queen Mary’s Gate and Rosebery Gate.  Dulwich Common, Court Lane Gate, Court Lane and Fireman’s Alley via Lordship Lane

How to get there

Rail - West Dulwich or North Dulwich
Bus - College Road P4 or Dulwich Common P13
Parking - car/bike parking areas can be found at the College Road entrance and in the car park

Facilities and features

• toilets - located by the main car park and in the Francis Peek building and in the middle of the park behind the café
• boating lake - offers children and family-sized pedalos and traditional rowing boats; open weekends, bank holidays and school holidays, 10am to 5pm (weather permitting) April to October; children are £3 each, adults are £4 each, for a duration of 30 minutes, family ticket is £12 (no bookings required); for boating inquiries phone 07902 258 301. Check accessibility information for the boat house
• café - open daily, from 8.30am to 4.30pm and operated by Collicis
• large children's playground with a selection of play equipment suitable for different age groups
• Dulwich Park trail map ^{(PDF, 784kb)}
• dog walking area - dogs may be walked off the lead on the perimeter path around the park
• Francis Peek Centre - the centre is available for hire and is ideal for parties and other events, with panoramic views across the park and plenty of space; contact Quadron Services Ltd on 0207 708 2806. Check accessibility information for the Francis Peek Community Centre
• cycle hire - available every day including bank holidays from 10am to 5pm or dusk if earlier, contact London Recumbent Cycle Hire on 020 8299 6636
• dry garden - this garden aims to demonstrate the wide range of plants that can be successfully grown with little water
• winter garden - this garden has been specially planted for winter colour
• Dulwich Vegetable Garden - the garden is found at the back of Rosebery Lodge near Rosebery Gate. Open on Wednesdays and Sundays from 10.30am to 12.30pm. For more details email dulwichveggarden@gmail.com
• Whippersnappers at College Lodge is open for classes, workshops and parties
• find out about Dulwich Park activities ^{(PDF, 1.4mb)} 

Sports facilities

• football - to make an enquiry or book email southwarkpitches@everyoneactive.com or telephone 03330 050 403
• bowling green - run by the bowls club - email Alan Gilbert a.gilbert@ucl.ac.uk for membership enquiries or Clifford Bell cbell1212@gmail.com for fixtures. Check accessibility information for the bowls club
• tennis court booking
• outdoor gym - free for the public to use
• outdoor table tennis - 4 tables available in the play area (limited bats and balls available in the café; you're free to bring your own)
• cricket nets - free availability for use on a first come first served basis besides the sports fields

Activities

• Dulwich Park Friends - Dig the park is a volunteer programme which runs on the first Saturday of the month from 10am to 1pm; activities vary with tools and refreshments provided
• organised walks - every Wednesday morning at 10am; the group meets inside the college gate entrance

About the park

Dulwich Park covers 29 hectares and is packed with historic features, exciting facilities and perfect picnic spots.

Refurbished in 2006, the Green Flag awards winning park offers a large children's playground, an excellent cafe and a popular cycle hire outlet. The Francis Peek centre has a varied programme of activities to suit everyone.

History of the park

Created in 1890, Dulwich Park began its life as farmland and a group of meadows known as "five fields". Many of the ancient boundary oaks survive today.

Queen Mary was a regular visitor to the park. She loved to view the American Garden, famous for its rhododendrons, which are spectacular when they're in bloom in May. One of the park gates is named after her.

Friends of Dulwich Park

Get involved and join Dulwich Park Friends.

Page last updated: 24 August 2023