Children's playground

This is Streatham Common playground: a large outdoor play area with a decent spread of kit for different ages, including slides, swings, climbing areas, a wooden bridge and a toddler section. It sounds like the sort of place that can burn off a surprising amount of energy, which is half the point of a good playground, really. What parents seem to like is the range. There’s space for younger children, older children can do a bit more, and there are even table tennis tables if you’ve brought your own bats and balls. There’s also somewhere to sit while the children play, plus a small shop and a café across the road for coffee, ice cream and desserts. The downside is hard to ignore: the toilets are repeatedly criticised as dirty, poorly managed and sometimes downright unpleasant. It also gets crowded at weekends, older children may not respect the toddler area, and there’s little shade on sunny days. So: very good for the children, but bring low expectations for the facilities and a healthy dose of patience.