The village green of East Dulwich which long ago was connected to Peckham Rye Common. Part of the manor of Camberwell Friern it was purchased as an open space in 1868. One theory on how it received its name is from the time when Mrs Dench kept donkeys and geese on the green. Another theory is it derives from Gorse Green. There was a pound for stray animals here, as seen on Dewhirst’s 1842 map. There were also two ponds, one on the site of St John’s church.
