It is located at the London Borough of Southwark, in an area between Camberwell, and Walworth and Peckham. A significant stage in the construction of the park was the closure of the Grand Surrey Canal in the early 1970s, which terminated at Addington Wharf on Walworth Road. It is named Burgess Park in 1973 after Councilor Jessie Burgess, Camberwell's first woman Mayor. The boundaries of Burgess Park remain a subject of debate because the park has never really been finished. Inspite of this, it is regularly the subject of proposals to build housing, schools, or transport links of the sort that would never be contemplated in one of London 's more usual Victorian Parks.
