1842  Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) stayed at Dane House, 168 Denmark Hill with the Benneckes, relatives of his wife. 

Whilst there wrote piano piece Camberwell Green (later renamed Spring Song - a song without words) music.


John Ruskin (1819-1900) family moved to 163 Denmark Hill across the road to the future park.

1871 Ruskin sold 163 Denmark Hill & moved to Lake District due the intrusion of the new railway of 1866. In 1889 Ruskin wrote about his memories of No 163 in Praeterita: "It stood in command of seven acres of healthy ground... half of it meadow sloping to the sunrise, the rest prudently and pleasantly divided into an upper and lower kitchen garden, a fruitful bit of orchard and chance inlets and outlets of wood walk.

c. 1904 Samuel Sanders planned to redevelop several Denmark Hill villas and their grounds, including his own residence, No. 168. Committee set up by a local resident, Frank Trier, to purchase the site and preserve it as a park. Gained support of London County Council, Boroughs of Camberwell, Lambeth and Southwark, Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society, Kyrle Society and Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. Committee chaired by the bishop of Rochester and included Robert Hunter (National Trust founder) and Basil Holmes (Open Spaces proponent). Development stopped and £48,000 raised to purchase the twenty-four acres.

1906  London County Council (LCC) acquired 9.7 hectares of land. Park plans prepared. Park designed by the London County Council Superintendent of Parks and Open Spaces, John James Sexby (1847-1924).

1907 Feb: Ruskin Park opened. It included an Old English Garden, an oval duck pond and a bowling green (replaced in C21 by a garden). Many of the park’s 600 trees were kept from the original private gardens, including horse-chestnut avenues, a Mississippi swamp cypress, and a 200-year-old oak.  Portico from No. 170 Denmark Hill (home of explorer and missionary Captain James Wilson) retained in the park.

1910 Last two Denmark Hill villas demolished after their lease ended. Ruskin Park expanded with new playing fields. Mendelssohn sundial added to commemorate his Spring Song.

1911Bandstand and promenade added.

1913 Kings College Hospital moved next to Ruskin Park.

1914- 1918First World War. Temporary bridge to Ruskin Park from King’s College Hospital constructed along with temporary hospital buildings inside the park for injured soldiers. 

1926Paddling pool, playground tennis courts & a football pitch added by LCC.

1939-45 During the Second World War air raid shelters built to protect residents from a local street or block of flats. Barrage balloons operated from the Park. Part of the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, allotments added for vegetable growing covered large parts of the park – most of the playing fields, and much of the area to the south of the chestnut avenue, as well as between the railway and the lower path.

1947Former home of John Ruskin (163 Denmark Hill, hotel named Ruskin Manor at the time demolished. LCC flats built-in the site. 

1954Original lodge (formerly 164 Denmark Hill) demolished. 

1963 Ruskin Park filmed for The Changing Face of Camberwell Film (9:03 onwards showing pond, bowling green and sundial). 

1967 Aug: Pink Floyd (1965-1994) photo shoot (more info) for the release of their first album.

1971  Ownership of park transferred from LCC to London Borough of Lambeth .

1975 The editor worked at Ruskin Park for a year as a gardener. At the time park had a workforce of 12 gardeners plus several park wardens. Offices were in the old stables. The bowling green was in operation.

1996 Friends of Ruskin Park founded.

2002Bowling green pavilion is demolished after a fire .

2006 Bandstand restored.

2007 Centenary of Ruskin Park.

2009 Oval pond restored by Habitat Works (more info).

2010 Ruskin Park Community Garden established

2012 Ruskin Park Café opened.

2015 Ruskin Park paddling pool closed.

2022 Ruskin Park paddling pool reopened (more info)