Park Bench London

The Museum of Garden History starts its dramatic reconstruction

2008-08-14T19:28:00.001+01:00

On Friday 31st July the Museum of Garden history closed its doors to the public and opened them for architects, contractors and designers to begin the construction of a new gallery.

The museum will be closed for three months for the construction of better spaces for visitors to enjoy the building and collection. On 18th November, the museum will re-open as The Garden Museum, a new space to explore and celebrate British gardening and gardens through the collection, temporary exhibitions, events, symposia and garden.

The new interior of the Museum, designed by Dow Jones Architects, will include a gallery for temporary exhibitions and a new space for education. The Director, Christopher Woodward, explained the outreach of the project::

"We're shut for three months, during which time we're going to build new galleries inside this historic church, begun in 1384. It's a beautiful, bright space but it doesn't have spaces in which we can display works on paper, work with schools - or mount exhibitions. Last year we held a competition, which was won by Dow Jones, who have just been short-listed as RIBA Architect of the Year. Their design will be prefabricated in Switzerland and be delivered in three huge trucks. It's freestanding, and won't touch the old stone walls. It's a ground-breaking use of new building technology. In effect, we're fitting a modern museum inside an historic church, and it's amazing that we can do that in three months. At the same time we're building Britain's first venue dedicated to a programme of exhibitions about gardens and garden design."

The new gallery will open with the first-ever retrospective of Beth Chatto, one of the most influential living gardeners in Britain. The exhibition will examine the subtlety of her approach to design and explore important influences to her particular kind of gardening.

The new spaces on the Garden Museum will allow old and new treasures from the permanent collection to be displayed for the first time.

During the closure period the garden will remain open daily from 9.30 to 5.30. The Garden Café will open Monday to Friday from 10.30 to 4.45.

For further information, please see www.museumgardenhistory.org

New Lease of Life for Dollis Hill House

2008-08-03T21:05:00.004+01:00

Hazelle Jackson writes:

In North London the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has given a Stage 1 pass award for a grant of £1.2million for the important London landmark, Dollis Hill House in the London Borough of Brent, to help save it from demolition and return the Regency manor to the community.

Dollis Hill House

Dollis Hill House was originally built in 1825 on top of a hill in what is now Gladstone Park. It was Prime Minister William Gladstone's former residence and Mark Twain's favoured retreat in the 19th century. The Regency villa, still largely intact, is surrounded by what the famous American writer Mark Twain described as "noble trees" with panoramic vistas over London.

Enjoying stunning and uninterrupted views as far as St Paul's Cathedral and Wembley Stadium, the mansion was an important part of community life between the wars. Until 1974 it was used as a tea room and restaurant and then as a catering college. Sadly, it has lain empty and disused since closure in 1989, and has even been the victim of several arson attacks in recent years.

The HLF funds will enable Training for Life, the award-winning social enterprise charity, to work closely with the Dollis Hill House Trust and Brent Council to develop plans to save the building and return it to its former glory.

The Grade II listed house can now look forward to being faithfully restored and extended, removed from the English Heritage 'at risk' register, and returned to its former use as a tearoom and restaurant.

'Absolutely Thrilled'

Gill Close, Chair of the Dollis Hill House Trust, said: "After local people have worked for almost 20 years to save Dollis Hill House, we are absolutely thrilled that our partnership with Training For Life is finally going to bring the house back to being the vibrant heart of Gladstone Park and the local community for all to enjoy."

Commenting on the award Cllr Paul Lorber, Leader of Brent Council said: "The council is delighted on behalf of Training for Life that their bid has found favour with the Heritage Lottery Fund. This brings them a step closer to restoring Dollis Hill House for local people."

The restoration of Dollis Hill House will see this area of London fully regenerated following a recent £722,000 HLF grant for the restoration of Gladstone Park in 2002. The Dollis Hill House Trust was set up by members of the local community to restore the house for the benefit of the community.

For further info see the websites

Greenwich Olympic 'Circus'

2008-08-03T20:58:00.001+01:00

Chris Sumner writes:

Also encouraging is the Mayor's intention to review the 2012 Olympics proposals, the prospective costs of which are continually mounting. One of the first things that he and his advisers may like to review is the preposterous proposal to use Greenwich Park as the venue for the equestrian events.

Greenwich Park is small by Royal Parks standards, and acts much more than any of the other Royal Parks as a recreation ground for local people as well as being a draw for tourists and the setting for an unequalled assemblage of historic buildings.

It is clear that the only reason for the enthusiasm of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games for using Greenwich Park is that the palaces built by Inigo Jones, Wren, Hawksmoor, et al. would provide great photo opportunities. So, while the horses are trampling the archaeology and the crowds and the Portaloos and the international television crew vans are compacting the tree roots, the world can be treated to a few hours of Palladian and Baroque backdrop, no doubt accompanied by Vivaldi, or will it be Purcell for local colour? How pathetic! Where are the local children and families and dogs and joggers going to play and run and picnic for the fifteen months that much of the park will be out of commission? Has LOCOG seen how busy the park gets, especially at weekends?

The Queen's House and Greenwich Palace:
the backdrop to the Olympic equestrian events

Is it any consolation that the present government will no longer be the hosts by 2012? Not really, given the apparent alternative, but the likelihood of the current lot's being out on their ear sooner or later may encourage the agencies tasked with advising the government to take a longer-term view, and to express their reservations rather less equivocally than to date.

Le Notre failed to grasp the nature of Greenwich Park, but he had the excuse of never having visited it and seen its steep asymmetry. He knew nothing about its unstable geology, and would not have cared about the archaeology or the concerns of the local people. LOCOG has no such excuses, and must be shown that Greenwich Park is much too important to be sacrificed for the Olympic five-ring circus.

Tall Tales from London Town

2008-08-03T20:53:00.003+01:00

Chris Sumner writes:

A recent trip to Covent Garden to see Simone Boccanegra led me to wonder whether there were parallels between the struggle for power between the Patricians and Plebeians of mediaeval Italy and those of modern London, and whether Harrison Birtwhistle might do for Boris and Ken what Verdi did for the sparring Doges of Genoa.

Any parallels of irregular love lives, ruthless egos and (character) assassination of the protagonists are perhaps better not explored, but high buildings were an issue in San Gimignano, where each family vied to build higher than its neighbour, and the civic life and the traffic of Siena were and still are disrupted by the annual Paglio horse race.

London has its high buildings threats and its prospective Olympic equestrian events, so some things remain evergreen. Boris Johnson seems less ready than his predecessor to subscribe to the myth that every attractive park and river vista in London would be enhanced by a disproportionately tall new building, and the Richmond Park Conservatives' newsletter carries the encouraging headline BORIS BACKS THE VIEW..

"The iconic keyhole view of St Paul's Cathedral from King Henry's Mound in Richmond Park has been reprieved and will be protected... an assurance from Boris Johnson... that not only would he reverse the assaults made by Ken Livingstone but he would also vigorously ensure that there will be no infringements of the original viewing corridor".

Well, we shall see, but it sounds like good news, as does the new Mayor's announced intention to spend £6m on London's parks.

Green Flag winners announced for 2008

2008-07-29T19:26:00.003+01:00

A record 743 green spaces across the country, all freely accessible to the public, have received a Green Flag Award - the national standard for quality parks and green spaces. Winners are judged to be welcoming and well maintained with the support and involvement of the local community.

There are 151 winners in Greater London, including the following Open Garden Squares Weekend participants:

For the complete list, please see http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/winners/greater-london/

The scheme is currently expanding nationally and internationally - three parks in Northern Ireland, one park in the Republic of Ireland, five parks in Scotland and two parks in Holland have this year also received a Green Flag Award due to ambitious pilot projects.

This year’s winners were announced from Green Flag Award-winning Bellingham Green, in an area of Lewisham highlighted by government as a transformed area of regeneration, demonstrating how residents working together with public agencies can transform deprived neighbourhoods. The Green is vibrant, lively and has significantly improved the livelihood and well-being of the local community.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Baroness Andrews said:

“I would like to congratulate all those whose hard work has resulted in this year’s green flag winners. In our busy modern lives, parks and green spaces are invaluable as areas where young and old can come together to relax, exercise and play.

“Bellingham Green is a great example of this and shows just how important green spaces can be for everyone in the community. The regeneration of green spaces is just as important as the creation of new ones and Bellingham Green is a shining example of how we can take up this challenge and transform no-go areas into centre-points of the community.”

Postcards from the Park

2008-05-15T08:09:00.002+01:00

Following the success of last year’s Postcards from the Park competition, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund (BIG) have again joined forces with GreenSpace to re-launch this exciting photo competition.

The organizers have £1,000 in Jessops vouchers up for grabs for the lucky overall winner, and all regional and country finalists and runners-up will have their photos professionally curated for a national exhibition. They’ll also be turned into postcards, which will be distributed at Lottery-funded venues across the UK.

To take part, just log onto www.postcardsfromthepark.org.uk to enter, and to find tips on how to take that perfect photo. You can also take a photo on your mobile phone and send it in by MMS. Text PARKS, followed by your name and where you’ve taken your photo in the subject header, to 07803 851 600. The MMS is charged at your operator’s standard rate.

The closing date is 1 August 2008 – so get snapping!

Discover London's Secret Open Spaces

2008-05-03T22:01:00.002+01:00

Visitors will have a rare opportunity to peer behind the walls of many of London's private community gardens and squares over the weekend of 7 and 8 June during Transport for London Open Garden Squares Weekend. Over 170 venues will take part, offering a range of horticultural delights and curiosities including formal set-pieces, typical English flower gardens and the prison gardens at Holloway, Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs.

Organised by the London Parks & Gardens Trust, the event aims to celebrate London's open spaces and highlight the important contribution they make to the life of the capital. Transport for London is supporting the event and encouraging people to make the most of their visit with the help of the walking journey planner www.tfl.gov.uk/walkingjourneyplanner .

Gardens taking part in the annual event for the first time range from former stately homes to private courtyards. Highlights include:

13 acres of lawn and gardens still reflecting the 18th-century landscape design at Fulham Palace, the home of the Bishops of London until 1973
the walled gardens at Charlton House, one of the finest surviving Jacobean manor houses in England
Hothouse Loddiges Garden - dedicated to the Loddiges family, who managed one of the most notable 18th and 19th century plant nurseries, with planting based on illustrations from the 18th century periodical The Botanical Cabinet by Conrad Loddiges
Conisbee Courtyard - featuring a vertically planted wall, an experimental rubble roof and central water feature. Designed by Landscape Architect / Garden Designer Marie Clarke
Maggie's Centre - which will open in April 2008 and offer support to those affected by cancer. The building has been designed by Lord Rogers and the garden by celebrated garden designer Dan Pearson
The sunken gardens in Malet Street, which offer a haven of peace in the bustling Bloomsbury area
Waterlow Court - designed in 1904 by the architect H.M. Baillie Scott as part of the development of what are now Grade-II* listed Edwardian cloistered flats originally commissioned by the Industrial Model Dwellings Company as a communal residence for professional single women
The formal garden and Old Varieties Orchard at Heathfield in Croydon

Old favourites such as Edwardes Square, the hidden gardens of Notting Hill, Garden Barge Square and the artistic Bonnington Square will once again participate in the 2008 Open Gardens Squares Weekend.

Date:

Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2008

Venues:

Over 170 gardens and squares in London

Tickets:

£6.00 advance - one ticket allows entry to all venues over entire Weekend.
Advance ticket hotline 020 8347 3230 (Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm) and on-line booking provided by Capital Gardens (www.capitalgardens.co.uk) until Monday 2nd June.
£7.50 on the weekend from the Britain and London Visitor Centre, 1 Regent Street, SW1Y 4XT, and selected gardens.

Information:

www.opensquares.org

Additional Information

Full details about all the participating gardens and squares are included in the guide which is given free with tickets. Information can also be found at www.opensquares.org along with the latest on special events.
Open Garden Squares Weekend is run by the London Parks & Gardens Trust to raise awareness of the significant social, cultural, environmental and economic contribution that squares make to the capital and its inhabitants. The Trust provides a centre for education, research, and creative projects for the improvement and conservation of London's green urban spaces. www.londongardenstrust.org
In 2008 Open Garden Squares Weekend celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Originally London Garden Square Day, it was initiated in 1998 by a local resident who imagined a day 'when all the gardens could be open to the public when local communities could celebrate the day with fêtes and fairs'. 40 private garden squares participated in the first year.
The London garden square is one of the capital's most popular and valuable features, with a rich history stretching back to 1631 when the Covent Garden Piazza was completed. By the late 18th century the square design had been perfected, with Bedford Square, WC2, a shining example. For further information, please see www.londongardenstrust.org/history/squares.htm
In addition to private and limited access gardens and squares, a selection of public gardens will participate in the event.

Kew and British Museum combine to cultivate China in the heart of London

2008-05-03T21:47:00.009+01:00

In a unique partnership, the British Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have conjured up a stunning China landscape in the forecourt of the British Museum this summer. The landscape celebrates the two institutions' shared vision to strengthen cultural understanding and support biodiversity conservation across the world. The experts at Kew have selected and provided the plants and design, the British Museum has provided curatorial expertise and the location. The landscape follows on from the successful Africa Garden created in 2005, and future collaborative projects are planned.

Inspired by the collections of both Kew and the British Museum, the landscape reveals some of the connections between China’s natural habitat and its culture. Trees, shrubs and flowers are both cultural symbols and resources, used for building materials, food, drink, clothing and medicine. The landscape is a celebration of natural beauty and the bounty it provides. Visitors are able to wander around the fragrant trails of wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), admire the beautiful White Mulberry (Morus alba) and historic handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata), whilst also absorbing a strong conservation and sustainability message.

Most of the plants selected by the experts at Kew are native to the mountains of Sichuan province in south-west China and have been chosen for both their natural beauty and for the active role they play in China’s cultural identity. The landscape features an example of a maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba), the only surviving member of the ancient group of plants which was widespread at the same time as the dinosaurs, 180-200 million years ago. They have only been saved from extinction through cultivation and today provide a range of medicinal benefits; they are used for treating chronic coughs and asthma and leaf extracts are used to treat circulatory problems and memory loss.

Conservation is a strong theme in the landscape. The handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata) is beautiful but also vulnerable in the wild; in 1899, an amateur British botanist in China alerted Kew to the alarming impact that the charcoal industry was having on the forests of Yunnan province, home of the handkerchief tree. Although now widespread in cultivation as an ornamental, thanks to botanists and horticulturalists worldwide, the handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata) continues to be classified as a rare tree in the wild.

Visitors are also able to learn about the economic properties of plants in this beautiful landscape. Bamboo (notably Phyllostachys aurea and P. nigra) is one of the fastest-growing plants on earth and treated bamboo is strong and lightweight. In China it is used to make everything from chopsticks, hats and musical instruments to houses, bridges and scaffolding. Its fibres are used for paper, fabric and medicine. The young shoots are edible, the sap is made into sweet wine and the leaves are used as food wrappers. Bamboo features in Chinese culture as a symbol of integrity and outstanding character, it bends in the wind but never breaks. A lacquer tree (Rhus verniciflua) is also on display. These are cultivated for their sap, which is used to make a durable coating called lacquer. Lacquer can be polished to a high gloss, and the sap can be coloured by adding the mineral cinnabar or carbon black to make red and black. The seeds and leaves are used in Chinese medicine to treat internal parasites and to stop bleeding

China is famous for its classical scholar’s gardens – picturesque places suited for social gatherings and silent contemplation. This tradition is reflected in the landscape by the inclusion of a trellis, a scholar’s rock that symbolically evokes the power of a mountain, and a rock inscribed with calligraphy - because no Chinese landscape is complete without a touch of poetry. The landscape also directs visitors to the Museum’s Chinese collections, where it is possible to see some of the plants used to make objects (lacquer and bamboo) or to see them as art motifs (chrysanthemums, willow trees and peonies) depicted on a range of ceramic objects. A huge contemporary rock sculpture by the artist Zhan Wang, on display in the Great Court, complements the garden alongside the temporary exhibition ‘Fascination with Nature’ in room 91, featuring wonderful examples of Chinese nature paintings.

After the closure of the landscape on 26th October, Camden Council will relocate many of the plants to Brunswick Square and Kew Gardens as a lasting legacy of the China Landscape. The Landscape is in association with China Now.

Surrey joins Europe to host conference

2008-02-08T18:31:00.000Z

The European Gardens Heritage Network is holding a one-day conference at the Royal Horticultural Society site at Wisley, Surrey, on Friday 14th March. Chaired by LPGT secretary Mike Dawson, the conference will cover:

Sustainability: economic; social; environmental
Gardens as destinations and gateways

The conference will:

Showcase examples of good practice across the European regions
Identify practice that could be applied to other places
Explore how issues could be addressed (eg through funding bids, European networks etc)
Promote parks and gardens as resources for the community

In the afternoon, six workshops will allow delegates to discuss topics covered by speakers in plenary sessions. There will also be an opportunity to tour the RHS site.

The following organizations are hosting the conference:

European Gardens Heritage Network
Surrey County Council
Royal Horticultural Society
Surrey Gardens Trust

The European Garden Heritage Network (EGHN) is a project involving partners from Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands and the UK. It is seeking to promote the social, cultural, economic and environmental contribution parks and gardens make to the regions of North West Europe.

EGHN is seeking particular recognition for the contribution gardens make to the “soft infrastructure”, which is increasingly credited with attracting inward-investment (for example through business relocation or tourism). The Network wants this recognition to be reflected in the prominence parks and gardens are given in local, regional and transnational plans and spatial strategies.

At the same time, the Network wants to redress the perception that gardens are only for an elite audience and promote and develop their value as resources for the whole community.

Further information:

Bucket & Spade Work in Fulham

2008-02-07T12:20:00.001Z

Local residents have persuaded Hammersmith & Fuilham to re-create a Victorian beach in Bishop's Park. Parks development manager Rob Kelly said: "This idea came from the park's supporters, and it's proof that, by asking people what they'd like, it can work out in the real world. "We've unearthed photos that show what looks like a real bit of seaside beach which was nicknamed 'Fulharn's Margate Beach' - as a bit of a joke, I suppose. It was 100 years ago, and it existed in the long stretch of parkland beside Fulharn Palace Road." "The idea is to use remains of the old layout to re-create that scene. With all the right safety features, this will be a unique project," said Mr Kelly. Amanda Lloyd-Harris, the chair of Bishop's Park Residents' Association is growing impatient, however. She said residents were tired of waiting for the long-delayed funding to come through from the council. "Perhaps at last, after so many consultations, we are getting to crunch time," she said. "We've got to have action now and no more words." ClIr Paul Bristow , the cabinet member for residents' services, endorsed the practice of involving local people in plans for improving the parks. He said there were some costly projects in the pipeline where getting local ideas was vital. "Just for a start, there will be £3.3 million to spend on new avenues and tree-lined spaces for Shepherd's Bush Green," he said. "We're getting as many ideas in from the community as they can generate. I believe this way we get the parks that people really want." Another part of the "democratic parklands" scheme is to make the borough's parks less feared. "People become intimidated by street drinkers and youths hanging about," said ClIr Bristow. "We're all keen that people aren't frightened to go in areas that should be for relaxation." As a result, the friends group in Margravine Cemetery in Hammersmith has started an action plan, moving railings, restoring stonework and opening up old pathways. Mr Kelly added: "There are more and more of these schemes. It's a whole heap better than blokes in grey suits sitting in offices and trying to have good ideas."

Cereal Drama in St John's Wood

2008-02-02T08:41:00.000Z

A park in St John's Wood is undergoing a dramatic change, with the sowing of winter wheat and barley. As part of Westminster Council's move to brighten up its parks and open spaces, parks manager John Tweddle has looked back at his days managing farmland in East Anglia. "After they tempted me away from managing 1,000 acres, I kept the image of lovely, rolling fields rippling with their crops," said Mr Tweddle. "Daft though it sounds, one of Westminster's managers from the north of the borough has picked up on my memories and he's going to surprise everyone." The manager in question is Barry Haynes, manager of St John's Church Park in Wellington Place. "It's wonderful to be asked to come up with new ideas," said Mr Haynes. "The world of plants can offer far more than the catalogues tell you. I thought we could try some actual farming crops to remind townspeople there is another world far out of town. "Winter wheat and barley - just like the crops in East Anglian farmlands - are my bright idea, and I'm planting the seeds shortly. When the wheat and the barley have sprouted and grown and are waving in the wind, they should look very fine. A slice of old country ways you could say."

Vibrator to be used in Westminster's Parks

2008-01-31T11:32:00.000Z

Westminster's parks are due for a shake-up with the use of special equipment to break up heavily compacted areas of its parks. The council is awaiting delivery of a new anti-compaction machine that sends a shaking movement to the roots of plants.

Users of parks such as Victoria Embankment Gardens (pictured here) should see a greener landscape when the vibrating machine starts work. It will send slivers of steel underground, shake them at about 3,000 revs per minute and allow roots to breathe and flourish. Westminster's parks are due for a further shake-up with the appointment of more park-keepers. One of their duties will be to explain to park users why some of their favourite plants occasionally need to be replaced.

Have your say on Shepherds Bush Common facelift

2008-01-31T11:21:00.000Z

£3.3 million worth of improvements to Shepherds Bush Common moved a step closer when Hammersmith and Fulham Council started a public consultation on the plans. Visit the consultation website. Cllr Paul Bristow, H&F Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, said, “We believe these exciting proposals will transform the common and ensure that it remains as one of our great open spaces.” The plans include a multi-use games area, extensive children’s play facilities, a skateboard area and a café with new toilets. The design creates a boulevard effect on the outside of the common, including a new cycle path. Cllr Bristow continues, “As residents will see for themselves we are not seeking to radically alter the overall feel of the park. One of the great advantages of this design is that the common retains its big, open feel.” Under the proposal, the common would be divided by paths into three main grassed sections, with slightly raised areas and a section that can be used for entertainment. The historic war memorial will remain in its current location. H&F Council has been consulting on the proposals with a stakeholder group, consisting of local residents from Addison ward and Shepherd’s Bush Green, amenity groups and businesses. After a public exhibition the landscape designers will work up the designs in more detail for a further exhibition in March before any planning application is submitted. The aim is to start construction sometime in 2009. Cllr Bristow concludes, “The new games area and play facilities will boost the appeal of the common to families. I would like to encourage anyone with an interest in the future of Shepherds Bush Common to have a look at the proposals themselves and let us know what they think before a formal planning application is submitted later this year.”

Are you interested in research on historic gardens and open spaces?

2008-01-29T20:08:00.000Z

The London Parks & Gardens Trust is looking for volunteers to expand the information in its Inventory of Historic Green Spaces. The Trust needs more volunteers to help with research on the sites included on its Inventory of Historic Green Spaces, which covers the whole Greater London area. Volunteers undertake historic research using various sources, and make site visits to record what can be seen on the ground. No previous experience of research is required, although some knowledge of garden history is useful. Training is offered in all aspects of the work: the use of libraries, the most appropriate books, maps and archives to consult, and how to record what is on the ground. There are visits to local history libraries, national libraries and record offices, talks from experienced historians and discussions of research in progress. Assistance and advice is available from the co-ordinator. Find out more.

AGT Plans Conference 'Far from the Madding Crowd'

2008-01-25T19:39:00.000Z

The Dorset Gardens Trust looks forward to acting as hosts to yhe Association of Gardens Trusts for its 2008 Annual Conference (29th-31st August).

Leweston School, near Sherborne, is the venue for the conference.

The Trust have based the theme of the Conference on Far From the Madding Crowd (with apologies to Thomas Hardy). Dorset is relatively far from the rush and hubbub of modern life and they look forward to showing us their hidden treasures. They have long been a forgotten county, with few large estates and only two gardens by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, two gardens with Repton connections and one garden where Gertrude Jekyll supplied plans on which she worked with Thomas Mawson. However, Dorset's once grand houses have always kept their footprints in the landscape and mellowed over the years to leave us with tempting glimpses of our rich and diverse past. Many Elizabethan and Jacobean houses dropped down the social scale and became working farms until the early C20, when discerning awareness lead to their revival. Some of the best gardens date from this period. The exciting creation of new gardens promises well for the future and the continuation of Dorset's garden heritage. Dorset Gardens Trust loosk forward to revealing this to us. Further details from Dorset Gardens Trust

SW3 goes bananas

2008-01-19T21:08:00.000Z

Founded in 1673, the Chelsea Physic Garden has been growing exotic plants for 330 years and its gardeners experiencing the strange, the abnormal and the eccentric in this horticultural oasis in the centre of London. Latest in a long line of unusual occurrences is the New Year flowering and fruiting of the hardy Japanese banana plant, Musa basjoo, which was originally planted in the Garden in 1995. Head Gardener, Mark Poswillo, said that, while the hardy banana had become popular as a garden plant, it was still extraordinary to see both the flowers and fruit on the same plant at the same time in January. Visitors to the garden will get the chance to see the banana when the Garden opens its doors on the first two weekends of February for its annual Snowdrop Days event. Garden's web site (in new window)

Crystal Palace

2008-01-13T19:31:00.000Z

The first of the Trust's new Winter Lecture Series was held on 8th October at the Museum of Garden History, Lambeth, which proved to be an excellent venue, and was well attended. Helen Brown, a founder member of the London Parks and Gardens Trust who formerly worked for Bromley Council, the hapless inheritors of Crystal Palace Park following the abolition of the Greater London Council, delivered a thought-provoking and well-illustrated talk on the gardens of Crystal Palace.

The Palace, the raison d'être of the park, was destroyed by fire in 1936. Although most of the bus routes of south London still seem to focus on Crystal Palace, as though the fire had never happened, without the Palace there is no focus to the park and no very good reason to go there at present. The sports facilities are outdated and badly sited, cutting the park in two and destroying any spatial or aesthetic unity. While the Extinct Animals have been carefully restored (although the effect is spoiled by the obtrusive safety fencing), the Terraces, of a Roman scale and grandeur, are derelict and all but abandoned. However, the London Development Agency has commissioned from Latz and Partners (designers of Landschaftspark Duisburg-nord in the Ruhr, which incorporates abandoned steel works) a new Master Plan, which was launched on 17th October, accompanied by an exhibition at Crystal Palace railway station from 18th to 31st October (see http://www.crystalpalacepark.net). The Conservation Management Plan has been written by two members of LPGT, Sarah Couch and Hazel Conway, who have also worked on the Master Plan.

Henry Moore at Kew

2008-01-13T19:03:00.000Z

Kew Gardens are worth a visit at any time of the year, and can be as beautiful in the autumn and winter - especially if the weather is kind - as in the spring and summer. Until 30th March 2008 Kew offers the additional attraction of a major exhibition of 28 sculptures by Henry Moore displayed throughout the north- east sector of the gardens (www.kew.org/henry-moore). The last time I saw so many of Moore's works together was at the Forte di Belvedere in Florence in 1972, 14 years before the sculptor's death in 1986 at the age of 88. My memory is that many of the pieces then on display were in travertine or marble, materials fine outside in Italy but not suited to the English climate; all the pieces now on display at Kew, with one exception, are of bronze. The photographs in the catalogue and illustrating the background exhibition in the Nash Conservatory indicate how well Moore's art travels. Although his English, and more specifically Yorkshire, background fed his art there is nothing insular or parochial about his works: his Seated Woman looks as good and as timeless when seen against the background of a lake in Beijing as she does in a grassy clearing at Kew. The pieces on display are on loan from the Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, Herts, where, as at Kew, they are displayed against a background of grass and trees. Other copies are to be found in public and private locations all round the world. Moore drew on, and drew, natural organic forms, and the characteristics of his drawings, which have both a solid roundness and a scratchy and complex surface texture, are carried through into his sculptures and castings. They don't all work for me. The Wall: Background for Sculpture and the series called Upright Motive leave me uninvolved. The 9m-long Large Reclining Figure looks good in photographs and across the Palm House lake, but its smooth white fibreglass surface is rather unpleasant close up. But others are quite wonderful, especially the two-part sculptures, which are monumental, dynamic and intimate according to how one chooses to view them.

On Trees and Allotments

2008-01-12T21:53:00.000Z

From skylines, down to earth again; the Daily Telegraph on 13th October reminded us that on 15th and 16th October 1987 19 people died, three million houses were hit, and 15 million trees were blown down in the south of England in the Great Storm.

At the time it seemed an unmitigated disaster, but 20 years on most of the landscape scars have healed, and the opening-up of over-mature wooded landscapes has allowed both assisted and natural regeneration, leading to a healthier age-spread of trees. Many trees that survived the literal shaking up flourished better than ever, leading to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew's investigations into the benefits of breaking up the compacted soil around trees roots to encourage mycorrhizal activity. Trees have been having a hard time over the last few decades, and no doubt it was always so, but this year's wet summer after several years of near-drought seems to have left most trees looking much healthier than they have appeared for a long time. Horse chestnuts, while again affected by the leaf miner moth, look better than they did at this time last year (i.e. mid-October), and after the wonderful frost-free spring, many fruit trees have produced record crops. Vegetables and other crops have had a more mixed success, and soft fruits were a disaster, but vegetable gardening has been promoted in several ways this year. Kew planted out the formal parterres in front of the Palm House over the summer with a dramatic display, both sculptural and colourful, of edible fruits and vegetables. The Royal Parks staged their "Dig for Victory" allotments and exhibition in St James's Park. The allotment holders of Manor Garden allotments, turfed out, or perhaps more literally asphalted over, for the 2012 Olympics, have been offered a new site after a fierce and high-profile battle: "Picture an area the size of three football pitches. Fill it with a patchwork of plots and families working, laughing, drinking, as braziers smoke at the fringe of their alfresco dining-rooms, cooking produce before dew has a chance to dry. This hard-scrabble Eden, populated by friendly Turks, Cypriots, Italians, West Indians, Kurds and East Enders, brought a taste of the exotic home" (Telegraph Magazine 13th October 2007). Could productive allotment gardens, or the sort of detached weekend gardens to be found on the outskirts of many continental cities, be a solution to the problem of uncared-for and underused ground in some publicly owned parks?

Part of the wailed gardens at Chiswick House is now successfully and enthusiastically cultivated by schoolchildren, and Brockwell Park in Lambeth has a small plot with a greenhouse where the Friends can grow vegetables and flowers, but parks such as Gunnersbury Park and Cranford Park have large neglected areas where, given the political will and the right management régime, local people could grow their own food, with all the benefits that that implies.

Fitzroy Square Makeover Stirs up a Debate

2008-01-12T21:14:00.000Z

Residents of Fitzroy Square are at odds over plans to resurface the pavement in the Square using York stone flagstones.

The gardens of Fitzroy Square

Novelist and local resident Fay Weldon is pressing for the makeover to include removal of the benches on the perimeter which she says attract gangs who "hang around in a sinister way". Robert Bargey, secretary of the Georgian Group, which has offices overlooking the square, commented: "Fitzroy Square is one of the most complete Georgian squares in London. Judging by the number of local youths who gather there, they seem to like it too. They are not malevolent or malicious but in many ways they are a nuisance." André Schott, of Fitzrovia Youth in Action, believes removing the benches would not prevent youths from congregating in the square. "They need somewhere to meet and be with their friends. If you take away the benches they will sit on local doorsteps."

The Green City?

2008-01-12T20:55:00.000Z

London, as we keep telling ourselves, is a very green city, and many of its residents have the advantage of a private garden as well as access to public parks, and so it is a shock to read a headline like "Gardens Are Disappearing In The Capital" (The London Paper, 9th October) over an article that starts "More than 1,000 gardens are torn up across London every year as developers replace leafy spaces with high-density flats..." Croydon scores worst in the league table of the 32 London Boroughs, having lost 358 gardens since 2004, Sutton is second worst with 266, and Lewisham and Richmond-upon-Thames are joint ninth from the bottom with 137 gardens built over in the last three years. When the loss of open space for building is compounded by the paving over of front gardens for car parking, the picture starts to look rather unattractive; comparisons of town streets now with photographs of the same streets 40 years ago make clear how much has been sacrificed for the sake of the motor car, encouraged by a sloppy planning system. Even more pernicious, because it is a result of the deliberate planning policy of the Mayor Ken Livingstone, who wants high buildings ail over London, whatever the cost might be to the historic environment, and of a Philistine central government that cares nothing for the past and has cut financial support to English Heritage, is the intrusion into the skyline along the River Thames and around the Royal Parks of tall commercial buildings. John Prescott has now gone, thank God, though not before authorising the construction of the Vauxhall Tower and other horrors; but the character and appearance of the Westminster World Heritage Site are now threatened by a 144m-high block of flats proposed to be built in Doon Street behind the National Theatre. The top of the building would obtrude into the view across Whitehall from the bridge in St James's Park, widely recognised as one of the finest and most magical urban views in the world.

St James's Park - before the Doon Street tower is built Lambeth Council justify the decision to grant planning permission on grounds of social gain - some affordable housing and a swimming pool - but what about the loss to Londoners and visitors to London and the rejection of civilized values? Would it be acceptable to deface a Canaletto if the graffiti were politically correct? The scheme has been called in for public inquiry.

ICOMOS and UNESCO have recently been looking askance at another World Heritage Site in the capital, the Tower of London WHS - and quite rightly too. The setting of the Tower is a bad joke and the buildings around it about as grotesque as could be found anywhere. The City of London becomes ever more an architectural zoo, its skyline like a badly kept bathroom windowsill writ large. Even the unlamented Tessa Jowell got a bit panicky when there appeared to be some chance that the Tower of London WHS would be declared "at risk", or even de-inscribed. Is Doon Street an indication that the Westminster World Heritage Site is to be the next lost cause?