London Parks & Gardens News

Plans announced for 2010 Open Garden Squares Weekend

2010-02-08T10:43:00.001Z

London Parks & Gardens Trust have announced that the 2010 Open Garden Squares Weekend will take place on the weekend of June 12 & 13, 2010.

The hotly anticipated diary date will be sponsored for the third year by Transport for London (TfL). Visitors will have the rare opportunity to peer behind the walls of London's private community gardens and squares. Ranging from the historically memorable to the small and quirky; from the contemporary and eco-friendly to renowned roof gardens, cemeteries and working allotments.

Gardens from many areas of London will be participating for the first time. These include:

Carnegie Library (Herne Hill, South London) - a wildlife-friendly garden at the rear of an Arts-and-Crafts listed building. Open on the Saturday, there will be refreshments, garden trails and children's activities.
Zander Court Club House (Bethnal Green) - an informal gated garden attached to community centre, looked after by the residents. Open on the Sunday, there will be refreshments and a plant sale (see illustration)
Brompton Cemetery - the most central and one of the best preserved of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries created in the countryside outside London between 1830 and 1841. There are more than 60 species of trees and over the weekend, there will be guided tours and a wild flower walk.
Hillview near Kings Cross - a Victorian housing estate that has been transformed into a delightful green haven. Tea and cakes will be offered during the weekend.
Kilmorey Mausoleum Wildlife Garden (Richmond-upon-Thames) - a wildlife garden surrounding the Egyptian-style mausoleum. Open on the Saturday afternoon, they will be serving Eco teas and hosting a recycling demonstration.
Windrush Square (Brixton) - a new, public open space in the heart of Lambeth. They will be celebrating urban gardening and agriculture in the area.
British Medical Association Council Garden near Euston - an elegant town garden designed by Lutyens, there will be guided talks as well as refreshments and produce for sale on the Saturday.
Emanuel School Grounds (Wandsworth) - 12 acres of gardens and grounds not normally open to the public.
John Betts House (Hammersmith) - an award-winning communal garden for residents of almshouses. Refreshments and plant will be for sale on the Saturday.
Lavender Pond and Nature Park across the river from Canary Wharf - one of the oldest urban nature reserves in the country, created on the site of an old timber pond (see illustration).
Roots and Shoots (Lambeth) - a vocational training centre for young people with a famous half-acre wildlife garden. Open on the Sunday, they will be selling refreshments and plants as well as hosting children's activities and storytelling (see illustration).
October Gallery (Bloomsbury) - a garden courtyard with fruit trees, shrubs and flowers.
St Lawrence's Church in Canons Park - a Grade I listed church with a baroque interior, world-famous composer Handel is said to have played the organ here. Close to other attractions in Canons Park involved in the weekend, including the 18th-century house (now North London Collegiate School) and the walled George V Memorial Garden

Also open over the weekend will be many of the much loved and popular gardens such as the Middle Temple and Inner Temple; Park Square and Park Crescent; Branch Hill Allotments; Culpeper Community Garden; St Mary's Secret Garden; The Community Garden at the Tate Modern; Bonnington Square; Eaton Square; MaRoCoCo Garden at Rococo Chocolates; Kensington Roof Gardens; Arundel and Elgin Garden in Notting Hill; St Michael's Convent and, by appointment, HMP Wormwood Scrubs.

Getting Around Over The Weekend

Open Gardens Squares Weekend is encouraging visitors to cycle and walk between the gardens. On the Sunday, there will be the popular guided bike ride starting in Covent Garden and throughout the weekend, TfL will be hosting guided walks. For those who want to discover the gardens independently, suggestions of the best routes over the weekend can be found by visiting TfL's journey planner, www.tfl.gov.uk/walkingjourneyplanner. Two podcasts and self-guided bike rides can be downloaded from www.londongardenstrust.org/guides, while www.opensquares.org provides all the latest news and updates.

Ticket Details

One ticket allows entry to all venues over the entire weekend. Ticket prices will be £7.50 in advance and £9 if bought during the weekend.

The closing date for advance bookings is Monday 7 June 2010. Tickets can be ordered from 8 February:

From the Ticket hotline on 020 8347 3230 (Mon - Fri 9.00am - 6.00pm)
Online from www.capitalgardens.co.uk
By post: send a stamped addressed envelope to Capital Gardens, 1 Townsend Yard, Highgate Village, London, N6 5JF. Cheques should be made payable to Capital Gardens Ltd. For each ticket booked in advance, Capital Gardens will give a £5 discount voucher to spend at any Capital Gardens garden centre.
In person from the Britain and London Visitor Centre at 1 Lower Regent Street, SW1Y 4XT (where there will be the opportunity to win a Fortnum & Mason picnic hamper), and from all Capital Gardens Centres. · During the weekend tickets are available from the Britain and London Visitor Centre and selected participating gardens.

Christopher Lloyd Exhibition at the Garden Museum

2010-02-06T15:09:00.003Z

The Garden Museum presents its new exhibition, the first major retrospective on the life and work of Christopher Lloyd. Opening on April 1 2010, Christopher Lloyd: A Life at Great Dixter will present a unique perspective on the life and work of one of the great characters of 20th century gardening. The exhibition runs until 12 September.

Born in 1921 Christopher Lloyd lived and worked for most of his life at his family home, Great Dixter. It was at Dixter that he, through his adventurous changes and characteristic use of colour, created one of the world’s best loved gardens. His work in the gardens informed and inspired his distinctive writing, published in national press and numerous books, which made him a household name and the most engaging plantsman of his generation.

This new exhibition will bring together personal objects from Great Dixter, recollections and stories from Christopher’s friends and colleagues, examples of his writing and stunning images of his garden to piece together a picture of the life behind the garden. It will be the first time that this selection of Christopher’s possessions, and those of his family, have been on public display: including his gardening galloshes and his Glyndebourne shoes, designs by Lutyens and photographs from the family’s private darkroom. From his childhood at Dixter, through his education as a gardener and the early days of the nursery business, to his later life and career, visitors will be able to examine the links between Christopher Lloyd’s public persona and his private interests and enthusiasms, from his annual pilgrimages to Scotland and Glyndebourne to cooking, contemporary design, and mischievous correspondence.

Christopher Lloyd: A Life at Great Dixter will be the second in a series of retrospectives of great modern garden makers in the Garden Museum’s new exhibition gallery. Like 2008’s retrospective on Beth Chatto, the exhibition will endeavour to place Christopher Lloyd’s work in context; asking why he was such an influential figure in 20th century gardening and whether his posthumous reputation will continue to endure. The exhibition coincides with the centenary of Nathaniel Lloyd, Christopher’s father, founding the gardens at Dixter and an appeal by The Great Dixter Trust to raise the remaining £1.1 million needed to complete Christopher Lloyd’s vision for the estate.

Christopher Lloyd: A Life at Great Dixter will be accompanied by a series of events at the Garden Museum. Further details at http://www.gardenmuseum.org.uk/

£8m Project for Bishop's Park and Fulham Palace

2009-11-26T21:27:00.002Z

Hammersmith & Fulham council has announced an £8million project to renovate Bishop's Park and the adjoining grounds of Fulham Palace. The centrepiece of the scheme is a beach next to Bishop's Park ornamental lakes.

A beach opened at the site in 1903, and visitors could relax on sand transported from Margate and other beaches in Kent. During the Second World War the venue fell into disrepair and by 1949 it was considered such a safety hazard it was closed.

Sixty years on, H&F Council chiefs hope to revive it. The council is applying to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £3.65million to help pay for the project.

As well as the urban beach, the council plans to restore the ornamental lake and picturesque bridge that leads to the enchanting little island. Three major play areas will also be created and the café will be upgraded.

The project also plans to restore the famous Fulham Palace grounds, including the walled garden, and will see the vinery restored and the stables turned into an education centre. The Fulham Palace moat, thought to be the longest medieval moat England, will be partially excavated at the Gothic Lodge – which will also be repaired.

Bring Back the Butterflies

2009-08-22T17:19:00.005+01:00

Bring Back the Butterflies is a community project that seeks to encourage residents of Camden to get involved in wildlife conservation.

The project has identified seven types of site where butterflies could be encouraged:

Private gardens
Beds and vacant space in streets
The grounds of housing estates
Public squares and greens
Business premises
The grounds of public bodies including hospitals and community centres
Cemeteries and churchyards

Established residents groups are being invited to take part in the project. A web site, www.bringbackthebutterflies.org.uk, offers useful advice on creating a suitable habitat for butterflies at the different types of site as well as details of the various species of butterfly.

Project leader James Leigh says: "Camden have allowed me to convert Hampstead Green into a wildlife-friendly butterfly conservation garden. This will be the showpiece garden for the project." James is currently looking for funding to develop the project further.

» Further details

Over 1,000 UK parks receive prestigious Green Flag Award

2009-07-26T10:57:00.003+01:00

More than 1,000 green spaces were awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award today proving there has never been a better time to visit our country’s green spaces.

The Green Flag Award is the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales and recognises and rewards the best green spaces in the country. 2009 has seen the standard of green spaces in England and Wales reach a landmark high with an increase of more than 200 new winners.

As the recession bites and people look closer to home to enjoy the outdoors, the provision of high quality, free open spaces is of particular importance. One of the most significant aspects of the Green Flag Award is that only green spaces that are free to enter and open to the public are eligible to win. The Award is a sign to visitors that a park has met strict criteria, which among other things require it to be a clean, safe and welcoming place to spend time.

The accreditation is a real achievement for the 1,013 winners, who were presented with their awards on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd July, by Michaela Strachan at the Pavilion in Bournemouth. In total 917 Green Flags and 96 Green Pennant Awards were presented.

Housing Minister Ian Austin said: “The Green Flag Award scheme is rewarding our best green spaces and encouraging others to achieve the same high standards.”

The Green Pennant Award is presented to green spaces that are managed by voluntary and community groups. These parks are judged on similar criteria to the Green Flag Award applications although special consideration is given to their achievements. This category often presents some of the most unique winners.

The North West had the highest number of winners this year with 225 Green Flag Awards and 12 Green Pennant Awards. The Greater London area had the second highest number of winners with 192 Green Flag Awards and 25 Green Pennant Award winners. It also boasted the highest increase of winners as 41 new green spaces were awarded, including Colliers Wood in Merton and Blackheath in Lewisham.

The results came at exciting time in the development of the Green Flag Awards, which is supported by Communities and Local Government (CLG) and is now run by a consortium of Keep Britain Tidy, GreenSpace and BTCV.

Other winners include 46 Green Flag Award winners who have also won a unique Green Heritage Site accreditation, that distinguishes them as sites of historical significance that provide visitors with effective information about the park’s past.

The Awards have been such a success in England and Wales that they are being piloted in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Holland, who already have 17 awards between them, and brought the total number of winners to over 1,000.

» Further details

Life is a beach at Bishops Park

2009-07-03T10:06:00.003+01:00

Exciting plans to restore an urban beach in one of the most beautiful and historic parks in London have been announced by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

In Edwardian times, families from across London descended on 'Margate Sands' in Bishops Park, Fulham, every summer. Hammersmith & Fulham Council now hopes to recreate that special seaside atmosphere.

The beach concept forms part of the council’s plans to rejuvenate both Bishops Park and the neighbouring Fulham Palace Walled Garden. And residents were able to have their say on the ambitious proposals at a special event at Bishops Park on Sunday June 21.

Once the council has finalised its designs for the both open spaces, it will apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund for up to £3.5m of funding.

As well as recreating the beach and restoring the ornamental lake, proposals on the agenda include:

Refurbishing the famous Fulham Palace walled garden – This would see the vinery and bothy restored to support a working walled garden.
Restoration of the picturesque historic stone bridge across the pond in the park.
Restoration of the cafe building and its surrounds
The extension of the stableblock in the Palace grounds to support a purpose-built education facility.

Cllr Paul Bristow, cabinet member for residents’ services, said: “Both Bishops Park and Fulham Palace grounds are of huge historic importance to the borough and these plans will see them reaffirmed as jewels in the Hammersmith & Fulham crown. Make sure that you attend the event on June 21 so that you can see our plans and comment on this hugely exciting project.”

The plans form part of the council’s ParkLife campaign – which sees the council improving the quality of life for all people who live, work and play in Hammersmith and Fulham by providing award winning parks and open spaces that are clean, green, safe and sustainable.

For more information and to view development proposals and comment online visit http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/ or www.citizenspace.com/local/lbhf/.

LPGT launches London Gardens Online

2009-06-26T18:32:00.003+01:00

Last year London Parks & Gardens Trust successfully raised funds to make information from our Inventory of Historic Green Spaces widely available as a dedicated website. The 3-year project commenced in December 2008 and will be completed by late 2011, with new research, photography and historic images brought in to illustrate the entries.

Although not all the information will available online until then, we wanted to launch London Gardens Online early on and it is now live at: http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/.

In the first instance it includes core information on sites on the Inventory Database, which now comprises over 2430 entries, and these are gradually being uploaded. We wanted to make some information available now and to give people a taster of the full website, but we’d also like to encourage people to contribute comments, knowledge and feedback.

Funding support has been received from The Pilgrim Trust, the J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust, the Basil Samuel Charitable Trust and an English Heritage Regional Capacity Building Grant.

The website has been designed and developed by Footmark Media Ltd, the team who created the award-winning www.parkexplorer.org.uk for LPGT’s education project.

Boost for London Sparrows

2009-04-04T10:26:00.002+01:00

The sparrow population of London has plummeted in the last 15 years, along with the bird population of the rest of the UK, as a result of increased traffic, paved-over gardens, removal of trees and development of green spaces, leading to a lack of seeds and insects for the sparrows to eat. The RSPB says many chicks are dying in the nest of dehydration or starvation because there are not enough moisture-rich insects for them to eat.

Now the SITA Trust, an environmental trust funded by the government’s landfill tax, has launched a plan to help them recover their numbers. The conservation charity has teamed up with a number of partners across Greater London and allocated £170,000 to run a three-year project to try and provide food-rich habitats for the birds.

Tim Webb, spokesman for the RSPB, said the plan was to sow areas of more than 20 parks in the capital with wild grasses and flowers to provide seeds and attract insects. Each site will be managed using three different planting schemes of grass seed, wildflower meadow and wildlife seed mix. While the main aim of the scheme is to boost sparrow numbers, the project could also encourage butterflies and moths back to the capital and provide food for other birds and bats.

Tim Webb said he was concerned that some people might think the wild areas, which will be in green spaces including Green Park and Kensington Gardens, were not being managed properly. But the patches of long grass were part of a scientific project which would benefit the environment in those areas.

The three-year scheme will run on sites owned by Lee Valley Regional Park Authorrty, the City of London, the Royal Parks Agency, and the London Boroughs of Wandsworth, Islington, Southwark and Sutton.

The 20 parks and organisations taking part in the scheme are:

Hampstead Heath (City of London)
Laycock Street (Islington)
Whittington Park (Islington)
Paradise Park (Islington)
Highbury Fields (Islington)
Burgess Park (Southwark)
Peckham Rye Park (Southwark)
Tooting Common (Wandsworth)
Tottenham Marshes (Lee Valley)
Waterworks (Lee Valley)

Leyton Marshes (Lee Valley)
Green Park (The Royal Parks)
Kensington Gardens (The Royal Parks)
Hyde Park (The Royal Parks)
Primrose Hill (The Royal Parks)
Perretts Field (Sutton)
Bedding Park (Sutton)
St Helier Open Space (Sutton)
Rose Hill Park East (Sutton)
Cheam Park (Sutton)

Crystal Palace plan raises park protection issues

2009-04-04T10:04:00.003+01:00

Hazelle Jackson writes:

The latest controversy to hit London parks is whether or not part of an historic park should be sold off for luxury housing to fund the restoration of the park. This raises important questions over the protection afforded to public parkland in London and Metropolitan open land in general.

The issue looks likely to come to a head in recent proposals to develop luxury housing on part of Crystal Palace Park as battle lines are drawn up by supporters and opponents of the scheme.

The London Development Agency Masterplan for Crystal Palace Park includes proposals to sell off parkland on the edge of the park to build nearly 200 private luxury homes. Bromley Council approved the LDA 'Masterplan' in December 2008 despite the application’s conflicting with their planning policies and the Mayor's London Plan. Also supporting the plan as the best way forward to restore the park is the Crystal Palace Campaign, whose spokesman Ray Sacks said: "This is the best comprehensive plan since 1854. We want to save the park from decay."

Lined up in opposition are the four neighbouring boroughs and a number of councillors and amenity groups. London Assembly Green member Darren Johnson commented: "By allowing the partial sell-off of Crystal Palace Park to raise funds for regeneration, the mayor has ignored strong local opposition and set a precedent that could threaten all of London's open spaces. It looks like he has chosen to ignore the contradiction of running a competition to enhance London's parks whilst at the same time giving the go-ahead to build over a section of one."

John Payne, chairman of the Crystal Palace Community Association, said: "This is the beginning of the end for this park and parks across the country." The group has been fighting the scheme since plans were first submitted by the LDA in November last year.

The plans also have the support of London Mayor Boris Johnson, who has written to Bromley stating that the proposals would “result in ... a significant benefit to south London". A spokesman for the Mayor said: "The new homes are limited to two sites that have never been part of the formal park, and both have previously been built on. There will be no precedent, as historically Crystal Palace Park has funded its upkeep by selling land for housing on its fringes."

The mayor’s support comes despite a manifesto promise he would protect green spaces, and even individual gardens, from ‘greedy developers’ and generated an angry response from John Payne who said: 'We hoped and expected Mr Johnson to reverse the plans and are shocked by his support for them."

As the proposals for development on Metropolitan Open Land and protected parkland are contrary to policies in Bromley's UDP, this is known as a 'Departure Application' and Bromley must refer it to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). In January the Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, called in the plans and signalled her intention to hold a public inquiry.

The Masterplan for Crystal Palace Park is by Latz and Partner At the moment work is concentrated on the removal of asbestos from the National Sports Centre in readiness for its use as a training pool for the Olympics. (Check Google for latest update). Latz and Partner have also won the competition for a Masterplan for the Lea River Park which will link the Olympics Park southwards to the river.

Gardens Matter

2009-04-04T09:58:00.002+01:00

LPGT Chairman Chris Sumner writes:

Amid the committee meetings, emails and deadlines, it is quite easy to lose sight of why we are all in this game, which is because we like and enjoy parks and gardens and think that they matter.

I am interested in history and design and also like plants, and I enjoy gardens at all sorts of levels. It interests me that a plant was first collected in the wild in New England in the seventeenth century, or in the foothills of the Himalayas in the nineteenth; that knowledge for me adds to the appeal of the plant, and the fact that it has been growing happily for hundreds of years and looking at home thousands of miles from its native site increases its romance. That is not to say that 1 like all plants; heathers are fine on Scottish hi I hillsides and Surrey heaths but elsewhere they leave me cold; and while there are many good reasons to visit Wakehurst Place, the prospect of seeing the national collection of skimmias is not for me one of them. Orchids growing on a steep roadside bank in Devon are lovely, but their exotic cousins massed in greenhouses can only impress me without my liking them one bit.

Parks, and the effect on parks of proposed developments, continue to make headlines in the London papers. On 18th February one of the Trust's patrons Hal Moggridge presented the Garden History Society's keynote lecture at the Royal Horticultural Society on Views - Perception and Conservation of Iconic Urban Skylines. Hal gave evidence on behalf of the Royal Parks at the Public Inquiry into the infamous Doon Street proposal (see articles for details) and continues to fight for the application of civilized standards in assessing the impact of tall developments on important city park and river views.

Current threats include the Elizabeth House development (aka "the Three Ugly Sisters") in York Road, Waterloo, which will obtrude into views from the Westminster World Heritage Site, Parliament Square and St James's Park, and the Three Houses Project ("the Breadsticks") at London Bridge. If the photomontages are to be believed, at 250m-high, these will look pretty horrible from nearly everywhere, an outsize three-fingered glove gesturing at London and Londoners. For comparison, SwissRe ("the Gherkin") is 180m high, and has at least the architectural virtue of symmetry.

The financial recession may ensure that some of these schemes won't get built for a while, if ever, but the granting of planning permission sets the marker and creates an inflated site value for the future. It can't make much financial sense at the moment to develop the Jolly Boatman site opposite Hampton Court Palace, where planning permission has now been granted for an over-large and tired-looking neo- Georgian hotel, so the prominent riverside site will very likely continue to be an eyesore for years to come.

At the annual meeting of the Thames Landscape Strategy - Hampton to Kew's at Kew on 11th February, Sir Simon Milton, Deputy Mayor of London for Policy and Planning and adviser to Boris Johnson, gave a generally encouraging speech about the Mayor's attitude to the River Thames, tall buildings and the Strategic View from King Henry's Mound to St Paul's Cathedral; but Boris Johnson's failure to intervene in the cases of Doon Street, the Beetham Tower, and the York Road site does make one wonder whether in practice he will be any more enlightened than his notoriously Philistine predecessor.

Doon Street... and 2012

2008-12-06T10:20:00.000Z

The Doon Street tower and the 2012 Olympics come under the scrutiny of Trust Chairman CHRIS SUMMER

Earth has not anything to show more fair..
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty.

The Doon Street tower

Thus wrote William Wordsworth in 1802 of the view from Westminster Bridge; but truly dull of soul is Secretary of State Hazel Blears, who has ignored her planning inspector's advice and granted planning permission for the construction of a 44-storey tower at Doon Street, behind the National Theatre. Harold Macmillan pulled down the Euston Arch but could at least claim that we had never had it so good, so what is the justification of Blears, the arch-vandal de nos jours for ruining the views from Westminster Bridge and St James's Park, and will she overrule the inspector's advice on the Beetham Tower too, if he rightly concludes that a 170m-high tower at the south end of Blackfriars Bridge is not what London wants or needs?

The credit crunch may yet prove to have a silver lining if these and other horrors projected at Vauxhall and in the City are put on hold. The past decade or so has been a boom time for many gardens, with the creation of opulent new gardens for the mega-rich, the television programme- inspired makeovers of the plots of those of more modest means, and the restoration of many public parks, thanks to generous grants from the National Lottery. We know that Lottery funding will of necessity be less generous in the future, to help pay for the 2012 London Olympics; and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is now saying that the provisions for 2012 will themselves have to be pared down.

So will the present loss of financial confidence lead to a change in the way we garden? Unemployment figures are approaching two million, many people's incomes are falling, and the rate of inflation and the cost of food have risen. But will we see more productive use made of land? The Royal Parks have shown with their Dig for Victory model allotment in St James's Park how a wide range of vegetables can be produced in a small area. So far as I know (I missed the recent public presentation), the latest proposals for the revamp of St James's Square do not make provision for cabbages and runner beans and an old bath for a water supply as shown in Adrian Allinson's well-known 1942 painting, but will the aftermath of 2012 include once more turning over the park at Greenwich to allotments? Both scenarios seem improbable, but just think of the Olympic manure!

Greenwich Disruption

The Queen's House at Greenwich

Lord Coe, Chairman of LOCOG, has replied to my letter raising the Trust's concerns about the use of Greenwich Park for the equestrian events with an assurance that LOCOG is committed to minimizing disruption in the Park and that it will be returned after the games in the state in which it was received; but details of any promised post-Olympics reinstatement works are in short supply. If it is the done deal that it seems to be, Royal Parks must have a wish-list of projects that they can present alongside the bill for loss of revenue. It would be nice to think that the area below the Wolfe Monument and the interface between the Park and the National Maritime Museum might at last be sorted out properly as part of the 'lasting legacy', about which we hear so much; let us at least hope that London's longest and most inappropriately sited herbaceous border, the one south of the Queen's House, can quietly fail victim to the horses and not be reinstated afterwards. I know that the locals love it, but it shouldn't be there. A formal planning application for the works, which are described as a temporary overlay, will be made to Greenwich Borough Council for consideration in 2009.

Victoria Park Improvements Planned

2008-12-06T10:10:00.000Z

The Burdett-Coutts fountain in Victoria Park is an LBII* listed structure.

Victoria Park was created in the 19th century. Parliament passed an act for the .development of the park in 1841 following an outcry about the lack of parks in the East End and fears that disease would spread from the stinking industries and slum population of 400,000. The government bought poor quality land that had been used for market gardens, grazing and gravel digging. The land was flat, with poor soil and little water but was cheaper than an alternative and larger site nearer the Thames.

When it opened, the park, designed by James Pennethorne, was an instant success, with local people using it as early as 1843, before works were completed. The site was extended in 1872, when land originally set aside for residential development was incorporated into the park. The park has passed through a number of managing organizations since then: from the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1887, to the London County Council in 1889, then the Greater London Council in 1965, then to Tower Hamlets in 1986 (initially with the borough of Hackney through a joint management board), becoming the sole responsibility of Tower Hamlets in 1994.

Many Fine Features

The park has many fine features including superb trees, avenues, lakes and floral displays. A wide range of formal and informal sports, sponsored activities, events and festivals take place throughout the year.

Many of the original features of the park have, however, been lost or have deteriorated. The site was much bombed in WW2 and was not restored. In heritage terms the park is still of national importance, as signified by its inclusion as a Grade II park on the English Heritage register of parks and gardens of special historic interest.

Victoria Park is located within the LB of Tower Hamlets, and is bordered on its northern boundary by the London Borough of Hackney. The 90-acre park serves a large residential population in both boroughs and is the largest park within Tower Hamlets.

Earlier this autumn Victoria Park bagged top spot in the Time Out list of London’s perfect parks. The park was marked out of ten in five categories including getting in, history, park life, fun stuff and landmarks. Victoria Park’s winning score was 41, with its nearest rival, Ravenscourt Park in West London, gaining just 38 points.

Funding Bids

In March 2009 Tower Hamlets will find out whether their multi-million pound funding bid for Victoria Park has been successful.

Submitted at the end of September, the bid seeks £4.9 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The money will be used to make a host of community-supported improvements to the park.

Councillor Abdal Ullah, Lead Member for Cleaner, Safer, Greener at Tower Hamlets Council said: “Victoria Park is a fantastic open space, with a great mix of heritage, sport, play and relaxation. That’s why it was named the best park in the capital by Time Out London.

“We’ve consulted with local people to find out how they’d like to see their park improved, and their feedback has formed the basis of our bid.”

Competing against bids from across London, the proposal which would see an additional café, improved sports pitches, water features, better play areas and much more, has wide spread support from local residents. In a recent consultation 76 per cent of respondents said that they would visit the park more often if the suggested improvements were made.

The funding bid is based on the new Victoria Park Master Plan, which sets out a guide for future developments and improvements to the park. The master plan incorporates the feedback of hundreds of local residents that have taken part in the Victoria Park consultation throughout the year.

This is the first stage of a long bidding process. The council will find out if the initial bid is successful in March 2009. If successful, the bid moves to stage two, where more details plans have to be submitted and discussed.

The council has also been campaigning for a £400,000 grant for the park under the Mayor of London's Help a London Park scheme.

Happy Ending for Ruskin Park Bandstand

2008-10-18T18:55:00.000+01:00

The bandstand in 2006

The Lambeth Wind Orchestra performs on the restored bandstand.

When an article on Ruskin Park appeared in London Landscapes in 2006, the park was in a poor state of repair. The bandstand had suffered the same fate as the rest of the park and was blocked off by metal fencing panels.

But change was afoot. In autumn 2005 the Friends of Ruskin Park had commissioned the Parks Agency to develop a Management plan for the future of the park. Among other things, this led to the restoration of the bandstand.

Ruskin Park joins a growing list of London parks that have had their bandstands restored. Among these are the one on Clapham Common, where the Friends of Clapham Common and the Clapham Society persuaded the owners, Lambeth Council, to participate in a major fundraising and restoration project.

Further information:

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.

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.