Garden club, library books and route notes
Published Thursday 28 May 2026
Book a Thursday garden session, note Canada Water Library dates, and plan around Rotherhithe and Surrey Quays works.
Top Updates
Thursday garden club at the Brunel Museum
The Brunel Museum's Wild Things Gardening Club is on Thursday 28 May, with sessions from 10am to noon and 1pm to 3pm in the Rooftop Garden. The museum lists it as a free activity, pre-booking is required, capacity is 12 children per session, and every child needs an accompanying adult.
Half-term history and sustainability continue
The museum's Tunnellers' Tales object-handling desk runs through Sunday 31 May and is aimed at ages 7-11, with siblings welcome. Its Summer of Sustainability family trail is also listed from 25 May to 1 June, with wildflower seeds to take home; museum admission lists under-16s free, SE16 and SE8 locals at £2.50 and adults at £10.
Greg Heffley meet-and-greet needs booking
Canada Water Library is hosting Diary of a Wimpy Kid Crafts on Saturday 6 June, 1pm to 3pm. The Greg Heffley meet-and-greet slots are listed for 1pm to 1.20pm and 1.50pm to 2.10pm, and Southwark says booking for those slots is essential by contacting Libraries@Southwark.gov.uk.
Dock X Vikings reaches its final weekend
Vikings: The Immersive Experience at Dock X is listed through Sunday 31 May, with 9am to 6pm hours on Thursday and Sunday and 9am to 7pm on Friday and Saturday. The listing describes replica objects, knot-tying, VR, a 360-degree show and a longship installation.
Dates For Your Diary
Saturday 6 June
Repair Cafe at Time and Talents
Time and Talents lists its next Repair Cafe for Saturday 6 June, 10am to 1pm, at the Time and Talents Centre, The Old Mortuary. It is a useful one to keep aside if a household item can be fixed instead of replaced.
Saturday 27 June
The Broken Umbrella at Canada Water Library
The Broken Umbrella is a free London Climate Week activity at Canada Water Library on Saturday 27 June, 2.15pm to 3.45pm. Science Owl will invite children aged 5 to 11 to take apart broken household items and turn the materials into something new; Southwark says there is no need to book.
Sunday 12 July
Bermondsey Puppet and Storytelling finale
The Bermondsey Puppet and Storytelling Festival builds towards a free finale at Bermondsey Spa Gardens on Sunday 12 July, with storytelling, puppetry, workshops, food and community-made performances. The festival page also lists free Saturday workshops at The Blue Market from late May into July.
What's On
Thursday 28 May
Wild Things Gardening Club, 10am-noon and 1-3pm. The two Brunel Museum garden sessions need pre-booking and are capped at 12 children each. Check the Wild Things page before travelling.
English+ and Craft Social at Canada Water Library, Noon-2pm and 2-4pm. English+ offers free informal English practice from noon to 2pm, followed by the library's Craft Social from 2pm to 4pm. Both are useful adult drop-ins if you are already near the library during the school day.
Friday 29 May
Surrey Docks Farm, 10am-4pm. The main farm site is listed as free to visit every day, 10am to 4pm, with group visits needing advance booking. Check Surrey Docks Farm visit information before relying on it as a half-term fallback.
Saturday 30 May
Southwark parkrun, 9am. The free 5k in Southwark Park starts at 9am. Children can take part with a responsible adult, but this is the standard 5k event rather than a junior parkrun; register and bring a barcode via Southwark parkrun.
Puppet workshop and music at The Blue Market, Noon-3pm. The Bermondsey Puppet and Storytelling Festival lists a free Jumping Jack puppet workshop, live music and dance at The Blue Market on Saturday. The festival programme says all ages are welcome.
Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 May
Brunel Museum and Dock X, Half-term weekend. Tunnellers' Tales and the sustainability trail continue at the Brunel Museum, while Vikings: The Immersive Experience has its last listed weekend at Dock X. Book and check times before setting off.
Monday 1 June
T&T2 Warm Spaces at Surrey Quays, 10am-noon. Time and Talents lists T&T2 Warm Spaces at Surrey Quays on Monday 1 June, 10am to noon. It is a simple community drop-in to know about at the start of the first school week back.
Roadworks and Transport
- Rotherhithe Tunnel closes overnight on Saturday: The generated one.network feed lists a Transport for London road closure for Rotherhithe Tunnel from 10pm on Saturday 30 May to 5am on Sunday 31 May. Plan late river crossings around the closure window.
- Rotherhithe Street and Jamaica Road: Rotherhithe Street has a Southwark road closure listed through Friday 12 June. Jamaica Road also has Thames Water works listed as a road closure from Tuesday 26 May to Monday 1 June, so allow extra time around riverfront, tunnel and Bermondsey routes.
- Surrey Quays Road and Drummond Road: Surrey Quays Road has Southwark works listed through Friday 29 May and UK Power Networks multi-way signals listed into August. Drummond Road has two-way signals listed through Friday 29 May, alongside longer-running Southwark works.
- Gomm Road, Rotherhithe New Road and Evelyn Street: Gomm Road has UK Power Networks multi-way signals listed through Friday 5 June. Rotherhithe New Road and Evelyn Street also have multi-way signals listed into June and July, which may affect trips towards Deptford, Surrey Quays and the Old Kent Road side.
Planning Watch
- 15 Canon Beck Road: Southwark has validated application 26/AP/1488 for 15 Canon Beck Road. It proposes a loft conversion with two front rooflights, converting the existing garage to a habitable room, replacing the garage door with a window, and rear ground-floor fenestration changes.