Park Bench

News from around the London Parks

Danson Park To Get £1m Facelift
... and £0.7m For Gladstone Park
Hampton Court Friends Scheme
Captain Cook On The Move
Vandals Plague Chiswick Park
Rus in Urbe in St James Square
New Pavilion For Regent's Park
Called to the Bench in Richmond Park
Water Garden At Chelsea Wharf

Park People

People and Places In the News

LHPGT Vice President

Todd Longstaffe-Gowan's magnificent floral crowns, designed to celebrate the Golden Jubilee were unveiled at Hampton Court Palace in late May. The 3D displays are made of intricate dwarf carpet bedding using 14,000 flowering plants and delicate rosettes of sempervivums.

STEVE Smith

is the new head gardener of the Grosvenor Estates.

JAMES McCullough

is the new Parks & Gardens Superintendent for the Corporation of London. He succeeds David Jones, who retired in March after 30 years service. Mr McCullough, 27, formerly with PMP Consultancy, takes over the planning and management of West Ham Park in East London and the 46 gardens, 43 churchyards and 57 other planted areas in the Square Mile.

ALISON Parish

has been appointed the new Chiswick Park Manager.

PROFESSOR Jack Lohman,

previously chief executive of the museum service in Cape Town, is to be director of the Museum of London. He replaces LHPGT Patron Simon Thurley, who left to become Chief Executive of English Heritage in April.

ARCHITECT Rod McAllister

of Sheppard Robson has recieved a second award for his design of the new boathouse at Battersea Park. It has been named Best Park Pavilion in the 2002 Building of the Year Awards. Last autumn it was highly commended in the Copper in Architecture Awards.

ROYAL Parks staff in London

have been debating whether to strike this summer after repeated failed attempts to secure their annual pay offer which was due last September.

ANDREW Plumridge,

Garden History Society director, is among recent resignations there, together with several of the staff and a number of the governing body. President Roy Strong is to stand down at the next AGM.

Pamela Paterson Resigns as President of LHPGT

Many of you will know by now that Pamela has resigned as organiser of Squares Day and as President of the Trust. Although she will be sadly missed by the Trust, she is not lost to the garden history field as her expertise and energy continue to be used on the Council of the GHS and the National Trust.

During eight years as chairman, Pamela, a landscape architect and artist, made the Trust a well-established and respected organisation, a centre of expertise for all those interested in promoting and protecting the green open spaces of London.

Her particular contribution has been the organisation of London Garden Squares Day, which she made 'A garden party for London'. I am sure you would wish to join me in thanking Pamela for her vision, enthusiasm and sheer hard work in past years and to wish her well in her new roles.

Message from the Chair

Barbara Simms writes:

SINCE the new year, the Trust has continued its varied programme, attracting good numbers to the winter lecture series held at our new venue in Fitzroy Square.

The series culminated on the 13th May with a double lecture on Jubilee Parks, the Trust's contribution to London's Jubilee celebrations. Katy Myers is also to be congratulated for a very successful study day on Gunnersbury Park held in March and John Goodier for his excellent series of walks.

By the time you read this I hope you will all also have enjoyed a mellow, but stimulating evening at the Trust's garden party in Fitzroy Square, one of London's finest Georgian squares.

Well-Attended AGM

The Trust AGM on 15th May was well-attended. The drinks and business meeting took place at Coram's Fields, the site of a foundling hospital established by Captain Thomas Coram in the 1740s as a home for destitute and abandoned children. The enclosed Georgian site is now a children's playground - adults are only allowed in if accompanied by a child!

Our thanks go to Chris Sumner and Drew Bennellick who on the same evening provided much-enjoyed and informative walks around Coram's Fields, the newly refurbished Russell Square and St George's Fields, once a burial ground but now a much-valued green urban oasis.

Squares Day Success

Although the weather wasn't always in party mood, the cold and rain did not deter garden history enthusiasts! We huddled in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey for the Garden History Society reception on 5th May and shivered in squares on the 9th June, London Garden Squares Day!

Despite the rain, Squares Day was as popular as always, with visitors travelling from afar, including Brussels via Eurostar. This year the Trust provided volunteers to sell tickets at many squares, a successful arrangement which has drawn many of our members into Trust activities for the first time. Marion Waller took on the enormous task of organising the volunteers and we thank her, Barbara Potter, Colin Wing, Pamela Paterson and all those involved in the organisation of yet another successful event.

In future years the event will be organised by a Squares Group comprising represent-atives from the Trust and participating squares. We shall be holding an open meeting on September 9th for squares representatives, volunteers and all those interested in being involved in Squares Day 2003. Please contact me at the Trust office if you would like to be invited or would like further information.

Blueprint for the Future

The Trust's new and exciting 5-year strategy document and business plan, A Vision for the Future, is now complete. It can be seen at the Trust office and will soon be published on our renamed website, www.londongardenstrust.org. The Trust has identified clear aims and strategies for the future and we now have enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers to turn our proposed projects into reality. Unfortunately we lack the finances! It is therefore crucial that we increase the income to the Trust making the most effective use of time, manpower and energy.

Fundraisers Needed

The call for volunteers in the first issue of London Landscapes was very successful and in this issue I am making a plea for a fundraiser (or two or three.......) to co-ordinate the systematic application to grant giving Trusts and other potential sponsors. If you have experience in this field you are especially welcome to join the Fundraising Group, but enthusiasm and willingness to learn are equally important. We would like to hear from you!

Many of you generously increased your subscription from to £10 to £16 earlier this year. This will help offset the cost of membership benefits such as the journal, newsletter and reduced fees for Trust activities. I hope you enjoy reading this year's even larger London Gardener, edited by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan and Sally Williams. The new newsletter, London Landscapes, is also a big success! I hope you enjoy reading this second edition.