Park BenchNews from around the London ParksBig Names Vie to Plan
V&A Garden Big Names Vie to Plan V&A GardenTUCKED away inside the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington is a tree-lined internal courtyard garden, the Pirelli garden, which dates from 1987. This year, as part of the museum's Future Plan programme for change, a competition has been funded by Friends of the V&A to replace it with a £1 m "modern, elegant new design". Six international designers were asked to draw up plans and these went on show at the museum from August to October for public comment. Designers submitting plans were Martha Schwartz, Kathryn Gustafson, the Olin Partnership, Adrian Geuze of West 8, Kim Wilkie and Christopher Bradley-Hole. The winner will be chosen by the V & A selection panel and announced shortly. The designs are very varied but all seek to exploit the space as a new open-air hub for the museum. Selection Committee chairman Sir Richard Carew-Pole said, "The 1980s and 1990s were a period when courtyards were in-filled or roofed over, especially in museums. We don't want that here". Accordingly the courtyard is treated as somewhere to stroll, enjoy café life, stage performances or shelter from the elements. All the designs pay due recognition to the terracotta Italianate façades of the courtyard. For more information watch the V & A website: www.vam.co.uk or contact the press office on 020-7942 2502. Trafalgar Square RocksTHE end of August saw 12,000 people enjoying a free concert in the revamped Trafalgar Square. The concert marked the culmination of a series of events to mark the re-birth of the square as a pedestrian area. Artistes taking part included Morcheeba and David Gray. Bushy's 'Lost' Water Gardens to be RestoredTHE Royal Parks have been awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) development grant of £410,000 as the first stage of a £4.9m award towards restoring the historic Bushy Park in South West London.
The 450ha sixteenth-century deer park is visited by over a million people each year but storm damage and the need for investment have left Bushy in a vulnerable condition. A programme of restoration works will be undertaken, including restoring the now virtually-lost water gardens and the woodland gardens. William Weston, Chief Executive of The Royal Parks said, "This is an immensely exciting moment as this funding will help to rouse the sleeping giant that is Bushy Park." The initial grant, announced in July 2003, will fund development work and an Education and Community officer, a project manager and a head Gardener (in a design rôle initially) for a period of 18 months. For further information, call Theo Moore, Bushy Park, on 020-7298 2128. Fast Forward For Finsbury Park ...ANOTHER London park to benefit from HLF funding is Finsbury Park in North London. In April the Heritage Lottery Fund announced a £3.4m award to improve the 'historically significant' park. The three-year project also received £395,000 from the Finsbury Park Partnership and £1.1 million from Haringey Council, bringing the total planned investment in Finsbury Park to £4.9 million. The project team, part of the Council's Recreation Division, wasted no time in putting the grant to work, starting with pathway and road resurfacing. This autumn planting is scheduled of an avenue of trees on the South-East side of the park, to provide a buffer zone against the busy traffic along Seven Sisters Road. Other work in 2003 included repairs and improvements to the boating lake. New children's play facilities are planned, and at the beginning of 2004 local residents will be consulted for their views on this and a proposal for the American Gardens in the North-West of the park next to Endymion Road. The Finsbury Park Partnership is also providing an additional £200,000 for the renovation of Manor House Lodge, by the Manor House tube station. Hugh Hayes, Chair of the Friends of Finsbury Park said: "The Friends of Finsbury Park are very pleased to hear that Finsbury Park will be repaired and restored. "We would like to congratulate the staff in Recreation Services for their hard work in making the bid successful and hope that this will be the start of a complete restoration of the park to its former glory." ... and Centenary Uplift For LeytonThe Coronation Gardens in Leyton, East London, originally opened in 1903. In May 2003 the park re-opened following restoration work funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The 1.65ha site has been restored with the refurbishment of the bandstand, fountains, ornamental gardens and maze. Re-planting was also carried out using only species available when the gardens were first planted. The restoration has been nominated for the Environmental Prize in the Waltham Forest Design Awards 2003. A detailed illustrated history of the gardens has been published on-line by the Waltham Forest Oral History Workshop, with a foreword by Joyce Bellamy of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. Go to wvvw.the-book.com/coro.htm if you want to read or download it. Christmas Ice Rink at Hampton CourtFollowing the success of last winter's seasonal outdoor ice rink at Somerset House, an ice rink is now planned for the 2003-4 Christmas holiday season at Hampton Court Palace in South West London. Leylandii's Days Numbered?HOMEOWNERS all over the UK, supported by their MPs, have been campaigning vigorously in recent years for the government to take action to control the spread of monstrous fast-growing evergreen x Cupressocyparis leylandii. Some notorious disputes between neighbours have been triggered by owners planting a row of Leylandii along a boundary wall or fence. Now the government has proposed an amendment to its Anti-Social Behaviour Bill that would give local authorities the power to intervene in high hedge disputes which neighbours are unable to resolve. The hedge in question must comprise a line of two or more evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs and be over two metres high. The complainant would pay a fee to the council, who would investigate and decide the merits of the complaint and what, if any, remedial action should be taken, including cutting back the hedge. Failure to comply with the notice would be an offence liable to fines in the Magistrates' Court of up to £1,000. Charlton House Walled GardensIn July the Mayor of Greenwich officially opened the two restored walled gardens at Chariton House in South East London. Built between 1607 and 1612 by Sir Adam Newton, Charlton House is one of the finest examples of Jacobean domestic architecture in the country. The gardens can be visited daily from Monday to Saturday 9.00 am - 5.00pm or dusk in winter. Charlton House is in Charlton Road, Charlton SE7 8RE tel. 020 8856 3951. Beware Low-Flying ParakeetsNo you didn't imagine it, that was a parakeet you saw just now in Richmond park. Colonies of rapacious parakeets, who broke out of captivity in the early 1990s, are breeding along the southern Thames corridor, where they are decimating the fruit trees of unsuspecting residents. "These birds are a real problem," says Nigel Reeve, Community Ecologist for The Royal Parks. "Once they're out of the bag they're virtually impossible to control." City's Parks on the IncreaseRECENT openings have increased to over 150 the number of small parks, gardens and landscaped open spaces within the City of London. Many are maintained from the Corporation's own private funds with no cost to the community and others are supported by commercial landlords. New building developments in the City must make a positive contribution to their environment and many trees, flower beds and water features have been gained in this way. For a leaflet on the City's open spaces telephone 020-8472 3584. If you notice any problems or faults in the parks, gardens or surrounding streets, you can report and track them online at http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/living_environment/open_spaces Barge 'Square' ThreatenedResidents of the 'barges garden square', moored by the Thames at Reed's Wharf (and open to the public on Garden Squares Day in June 2003), are facing a court battle to get them evicted by Southwark Council.
Local estate agents and residents of the expensive riverside apartments nearby have complained the barges are holding back the value of property overlooking the site. Southwark claims planning permission was only for a few commercial boats, not the 30 or so residential ones now there. Architect Nick Lacey, who owns the moorings site, is fighting the eviction order pointing out that the site was in existence long before planning legislation began in 1948 and was mentioned in the 1857 Port of London Act. |
Friends' NewsClapton Could Be 'Plant Aid' Venue
News from the TrustSponsors SoughtChair BARBARA SIMMS writes in the Autumn 2003 edition of 'London Landscapes': If you thought that London Landscapes dropping through your letter-box meant that Christmas had disappeared in an even greater alcoholic haze than usual, be reassured that you still have those jollifications to come! One of the goals in the Trust's five-year strategy document is to provide members with a quarterly newsletter by the end of Year 5 (2007). Hazelle Jackson's enthusiasm as editor, combined with the quality and quantity of readers' contributions, has given the Trust the impetus to push this goal forward: from this publication onwards there will be three issues of London Landscapes each year - in November, March and July. The Newsletter has several important functions. First and foremost it is the means by which members can keep up to date with Trust activities, events of like-minded organisations and current issues concerning London's green open spaces. London Landscapes is also the face of the Trust to a wider audience and, for many people, their first contact with the London Parks & Gardens Trust, as it is sent to central libraries in the London boroughs, London friends' groups, gardens trusts nationwide and organisations such as the GLA and English Heritage. Each issue of London Landscapes (a print run of 1000) costs approximately £2000 including mailing, an amount currently funded through subscriptions. This November issue is funded by proceeds from London Garden Squares Day 2003, but we need to attract sponsors for each publication to enable subscription fees to contribute to expanding Trust activities. We are therefore looking for enthusiastic volunteers to take this project forward and to negotiate sponsorship from individuals, local businesses and other organisations. We would also like to develop an advertisements section and secure articles by sponsors or advertisers. If you could help or have any ideas on funding please contact me or Hazelle. Securing IncomeSecuring adequate funding to run a membership organisation is a major issue for many charitable trusts and one uppermost on the agenda of the London Parks & Gardens Trust. Over the past few years we have tried to stabilise, if not increase, subscription income by encouraging - all with limited success -
To remedy this situation, the Executive is proposing to the Council of Management an increase in the standard membership fee. If this is accepted, as from January 2004 the benefits of membership will include
I hope you agree these benefits are worthwhile and will sign up for the coming year. Friends' NewsClapton Could Be 'Plant Aid' VenueRachel Short writes I read with interest Caroline Aldiss's idea about launching Plant Aid to support park regeneration in underprivileged areas. 1 am writing to suggest Clapton Pond as a potential venue. Clapton Pond - sited at one end of what has become known as 'murder mile' - has been sadly neglected since its glory days in the late 19th century. However, local residents set up a Clapton Pond Neighbourhood Action Group in May 2002 and regularly organise community clean-ups. We are also looking at preparing a restoration management plan. The planting around the pond - some overgrown shrubbery and some ill-conceived bedding plant beds - is in severe need of overhaul and a Plant Aid day would be a great way to galvanise and focus local activity. Note from LPGT files. Clapton Pond is a public green space at the centre of Lower Clapton, part of London Borough of Hackney.The open space is divided in two by Newick Road and the pond itself is located in the southern half.
The pond was the heart of the village of Clapton, on the River Lee in medieval times. In the early eighteenth century it became a reservoir to supply the locality with water which was brought up via pipes or wooden conduits from a weir on the River Lee. The water system was then taken over by John Ward, a speculator with plans to expand it. These did not come to fruition since in 1724 he was convicted of forgery. The pond was later restored as a reservoir in 1760 and continued to supply water until 1833, when Hackney's supply was re-routed, making Clapton Pond redundant as a reservoir. Hackney District Board later acquired Clapton Pond in 1898; the gardens were re-landscaped in 1977-79 by Hackney Council, retaining the bridge, most of the trees which included a number of semi-mature willows, and replanting particularly with shrubs. Pond House built in c.1800 overlooks the garden, and nearby are Bishop Wood's Almshouses built in 1665 under the provisions of the will of Thomas Wood, the Bishop of Lichfield who came from Hackney, to provide for ten widows over 60 years old. Strawberry Hill on World's 'Most at Risk' Sites ListStrawberry Hill in Twickenham, the venue for this years AGT conference, is the location where Horace Walpole started the 18th century Gothick revival movement in the UK. Conference delegates will have observed that the interior of the Walpole's 'Gothick castle', matches its Gothick exterior, but is deteriorating and urgently needs extensive repairs. The owners, St. Mary's college, cannot afford the estimated £12m restoration bill to save the plaster ceilings, papier-mâché decorative work and stained-glass windows. It was this urgent need to save one of the world's most influential buildings for posterity that led Michael Snodin, of the V&A Museum, to nominate it for inclusion on the World Monuments Fund list of 100 most at risk structures worldwide. Mr Snodin, Chairman of the Friends of Strawberry Hill, said, 'It's wonderfully Gothic. It is a national and international treasure and the most important eighteenth century revival building in the world.' Other buildings on the list include Battersea Power Station, Stowe house in Buckinghamshire and Catherine the Great's Chinese Palace at St Petersburg. Waterfront Saga at TwickenhamThe long-running saga of Twickenham waterfront took another turn recently. When the Tories won control of the council in the local elections in Richmond in 2002, they reviewed - and rejected - controversial proposals to build a large block of luxury flats and leisure complex on the site. They proposed instead, as a holding operation, to demolish the derelict riverside swimming baths and create a fenced-off open space and a children's playground. Now the Secretary Of State has called in this latest scheme to examine whether the plan would prejudice any future schemes. He also wants to investigate its impact on the conservation area and ensure it complies with planning policies. David Barnes, the council's development control manager, commented: 'It is difficult to understand how an essentially local scheme of this scale and nature can be considered by the Secretary of State to have a significance which justifies his intervention in this way.' Judith Lovelace of the Twickenham Society said: "It is no surprise for central government to call in a scheme for a site which, has been controversial for 25 years." Although not wholeheartedly welcomed by local amenity groups, the latest plans did appear to allow time to plan for the future. All the opponents of the various commercial schemes proposed over the years have been united in their view that the riverside at Twickenham is of historic and national importance, a fact highlighted now in the context of the Thames Landscape Strategy. Richmond Council faces similar problems to many councils around the country at present, namely how to manage their property portfolio to achieve maximum financial benefit while at the same time representing the interests of their electorate who went their local heritage preserved and protected. When a cash-strapped local council owns an attractive historic site and the developers move in for the kill, a planning battle inevitably follows. Twickenham Riverside is a classic of its type. It has some distance yet to run. Obituary: Dr Nigel TempleHazelle Jackson writes: Dr Nigel Temple, who was born in 1926, was well known as an artist, garden and architectural historian and photographer. He collected postcards for over 50 years and had many thousands of cards in his collection. In 2001, he passed on some of his collection to the National Monuments Record Centre in Swindon. An exhibition, "Workers Playtime", telling the story of public parks and gardens in postcards, was held at Swindon from October 2002 to January 2003. After serving with the Royal Air Force from 1944-48, Nigel Temple attended Farnham School of Art from 1948-52 where he was particularly intrigued by the local vernacular buildings. A teaching diploma at the University of Sheffield followed where his dissertation was on the buildings of Farnham. A number of publications about Farnham followed including "Farnham Inheritance" (1956) and "Farnham Buildings and People" (1963). From 1983 to 2001 Dr Temple was Registrar of Research for the Garden History Society. Dr Temple was also an expert on the Reptons, John Nash and Joseph Paxton and his publications included "John Nash and the Village Picturesque" (1979) and "George Repton's Pavilion Notebook"(1993). Recently he was researching the life and work of Uwedale Price. His artistic work was inextricably tied up with his other experiences and interests in gardening and garden and architectural history. Since the 1970s he worked mainly in collages using "materials that have already known previous lives, brought together, worked upon and re-presented with a new sense of purpose". His work is currently featured in an exhibition by the Cheltenham Group of Artists at the Cheltenham Art Gallery. His own garden was exquisitely cultivated with much attention lavished on his prized lawn and acanthus. Dr Temple was a true gentleman of charm and courtesy underpinned by great erudition and leavened by a mischevious sense of humour. He was supported in all his work by his wife Judith. Sadly he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in July and failed to recover fully from the operations which followed. He died on 7th November 2003. Knowing him was both a privilege and a pleasure. Being his friend doubly so. He will be greatly missed. |
