page_title: Kennington Park
section_title: 21st century
hierarchical_section_title: Kennington Park / Kennington Park / 21st century
caption_attribution_description: English: Department of Social Security Building by Richard Seifert on the site of The Horns Tavern, Kennington Park Road
context_page_description: Kennington Park is a public park in Kennington, south London and lies between Kennington Park Road and St. Agnes Place. It was opened in 1854 on the site of what had been Kennington Common, where the Chartists gathered for their biggest "monster rally" on 10 April 1848. Soon after this demonstration the common was enclosed and, sponsored by the royal family, made into a public park.
  Kennington Common was a site of public executions until 1800 as well as being an area for public speaking. Some of the most illustrious orators to speak here were Methodist founders George Whitefield and John Wesley who is reputed to have attracted a crowd of 30,000.
  The common was one of the earliest London cricket venues and is known to have been used for top-class matches in 1724. Kennington Park hosts the first inner London community cricket ground, sponsored by Surrey County Cricket Club whose home, The Oval, is close to the park. Casual games of both cricket and football are regularly held in the park.
  In the 1970s, the old tradition of mass gatherings returned to the park which was host to the start of many significant marches to Parliament.
context_section_description: 2001 Last municipal fireworks display.
  2002  July Park Arts event. 12 artists install work in the park for the day.
  2002 Inaugural meeting of Friends of Kennington Park (FoKP). Their formation was a reaction to concern for the current condition and upkeep of the park, which was very poor. The cafe was closed, and in disrepair, before reopening later in the year.
  2002 Organised cricket returns to Kennington Park with Tony Moody's inner-city cricket project. Kennington United CC is financially supported by Surrey CCC, based nearby at The Oval and receives coaching from professional players.
  2002 '15 Storeys High', a comedy TV series set in the Brandon Estate flats adjacent to the park, is broadcast in the UK. It is now considered a classic.
  2003 Lambeth council get eviction order against St. Agnes Place.
  2003 First memorial service at St. Marks for those who died in the park bomb shelter in 1940.
  2003 The tree planting charity, Trees for London (later Trees for Cities) moves into Prince Consort Lodge.
  2004  A march to start the Cannabis Festival in Brockwell Park started from Kennington Park.
  2004 cJune Lambeth Council posters announce illegality of ad hoc barbecues in the park.
  2004 The public toilets are reopened.
  2004 July Jumble sale organised by Cathy Preece raises over £700 for park bird boxes made by local community eco group Roots & Shoots.
  2004 August An Ecuadorian community group are excluded from using the park for volleyball Ecua-volley, after complaints over public health matters are received by the council.
  2004  Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the park with a funday organised by the Friends of Kennington Park group.
  2004 October 'SaveKPVolleyball' campaign group sends an open letter to Lambeth Council defending the use of the park for Ecuadorian community volleyball. But volleyball continues to be excluded.
  2004 November/December Birdboxes are installed by Roots & Shoots, as reported in South London Press Friday, 3 December 2004
  2005  Community Planting Day in Kennington Park east, to define the boundary of the new cricket pitch. Young cricketers and other local volunteers do the planting including fifteen Lime trees. Trees for Cities with Friends of KP.
  2005  Riot police evict the squatters in St. Agnes Place adjoining the park. The Rastafarian Temple is temporarily spared. Demolition of all the houses follows.
  2006  Kennington United Cricket Club play their first formal at home game at Kennington Park against Temple Bar.  TB batted first, 169 all out. KUCC won 173 to 6.
  2006  A memorial is unveiled to victims of Blitz entombed in the park shelter.  Designed by sculptor Richard Kindersley, it takes the form of a rough slab of Caithness stone, and bears the dedication: To commemorate the wartime suffering of the people of Kennington and in particular over 50 men, women and children who were killed on 15 October 1940 when a bomb destroyed an air-raid shelter near this spot. Rest in peace.  It also bears an inscription from poet Maya Angelou: History despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived but if faced with courage need not be lived again.
  2006 saw the construction of a new fitness course, new playground and other improvements.
  2007  The Archbishop of Canterbury was amongst the speakers at an outdoor service to commemorate the passing of the Slave Trade Act 1807. There had been a march from Holy Trinity, Clapham Common to Kennington Park
  2007  The Rastafarian Temple on St. Agnes Place was raided by 60 armed police, with about 150 other officers as back-up, after it had been taken over by drug dealers. 23 people were arrested, although only three people were charged, and no class A drugs were found.  The Ethiopian World Federation was awarded over £8,000 of costs from the police. However, by 21 May demolition was underway.
  2008 A new children's playground opens in the park after a fundraising campaign led by FOKP
  2010 the 70th anniversary of Kennington Park's air raid shelter tragedy is commemorated
  2011 The Park is awarded a Green Flag – a national award that recognises the best green spaces in 
caption: Department of Social Security, built in the 1960s on the site of The Horns Tavern
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