Pocket Parks in London
June 28, 2024 9:40 AM Subscribe
What are the best (or just your favorite) extremely small public parks, plazas, green roofs, etc in London? I'm talking a few acres at the most, and ideally much smaller.
I'll be visiting London later this summer to research the design and horticulture of small urban public parks. In my NYC context, say a size range from Madison Square Park to Paley Park, the smaller the better. I'd also love recommendations for any neighborhoods where I can see lots of small-scale public horticulture just by walking around. (I'm less interested in stuff like estate gardens even if they're open to the public - the goal is places that are specifically designed for heavy public use.)
I have never been to London at all, so no suggestion is too obvious!
I'll be visiting London later this summer to research the design and horticulture of small urban public parks. In my NYC context, say a size range from Madison Square Park to Paley Park, the smaller the better. I'd also love recommendations for any neighborhoods where I can see lots of small-scale public horticulture just by walking around. (I'm less interested in stuff like estate gardens even if they're open to the public - the goal is places that are specifically designed for heavy public use.)
I have never been to London at all, so no suggestion is too obvious!
Slightly at random from those I have enjoyed, mostly centralish. Bunhill Fields. St Andrew Holborn. Two sets of Temple Gardens, one on the Embankment, one in the Inner Temple, perhaps too estate-y for your purposes. Postman's Park. Leathermarket Gardens. Coram Fields (you need to be with a child for this one). Post Roof.
posted by paduasoy at 10:18 AM on June 28
posted by paduasoy at 10:18 AM on June 28
in my experience, the cemeteries were always worth a visit
posted by philip-random at 10:20 AM on June 28
posted by philip-random at 10:20 AM on June 28
As well as Bloomsbury (seconded!), the City of London (the ancient bit in the middle of the giant sprawling megacity) is absolutely littered with tiny little patches of green. Here's a three-page list of parks, gardens and churchyards put together by the council; the individual entries are quite sparse, but hopefully they'll be enough for you to know whether you want to find out more.
As for specifics... it's been a few years now since I worked in central London, and the two parks that really stand out in my memory are Postman's Park, thanks to the highly unusual Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, and St Dunstan in the East, a garden sprung from the ruins of a mediaeval church. I'm not sure either of those is quite what you had in mind, but do visit them anyway!
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 10:24 AM on June 28 [4 favorites]
As for specifics... it's been a few years now since I worked in central London, and the two parks that really stand out in my memory are Postman's Park, thanks to the highly unusual Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, and St Dunstan in the East, a garden sprung from the ruins of a mediaeval church. I'm not sure either of those is quite what you had in mind, but do visit them anyway!
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 10:24 AM on June 28 [4 favorites]
London is one of the best global cities for small parks. In addition to the big cemeteries, there are some beautiful smaller church yards or former church yards. St George in Bloomsbury is one of my favourite little parks and Queen Square is my favourite Bloomsbury square. A couple of beautiful or interesting graveyards with functioning churches include the unkempt and picturesque St John-of-Hampstead (not in Central London, but Hampstead is the wealthy sort of neighbourhood where residents plant up the bases of street trees, if that interests you) and the very historical St Pancras church. You might also like the Camley Street Garden which is a coal yard turned nature reserve aimed at children. There are some nice very local pocket parks in Islington (eg the New River path, Compton Terrace, Arlington Square, many others of which I don't know the names).
posted by tavegyl at 10:40 AM on June 28 [2 favorites]
posted by tavegyl at 10:40 AM on June 28 [2 favorites]
The great Ianvisits.co.uk has written an entire series on London's pocket parks: you can find an archive of it here.
posted by Hogshead at 10:46 AM on June 28 [3 favorites]
posted by Hogshead at 10:46 AM on June 28 [3 favorites]
My partner declared Mount Street Gardens one of the most beautiful parks he'd ever been to. We passed through in late April this year and it was really lovely with all the tulips in bloom. It's really irregularly shaped, just tucked in between some buildings.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:22 AM on June 28
posted by urbanlenny at 11:22 AM on June 28
I think you will love the New River Walk and Newington Green.
posted by Chausette at 12:45 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
posted by Chausette at 12:45 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
Potter's Fields Park tucked near Tower Bridge is a lovely little spot. I also really liked another churchyard a little further away which I walked through regularly, but not sure how interesting it would be horticulturally speaking.
posted by My Kryptonite is Worry at 1:55 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
posted by My Kryptonite is Worry at 1:55 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
Seconding St. Dunstan in the East. It's great on its own but is also close to pubs and the Monument to the Great Fire of London. Oh, and also somewhat close by is the Sky Garden, which is sort of a roof garden!
posted by Don_K at 2:01 PM on June 28 [2 favorites]
posted by Don_K at 2:01 PM on June 28 [2 favorites]
One more. The Victoria Embankment Gardens along the north side of the Thames was nice, especially after a trip to Gordon's Wine Bar at its west end. Along this length of the Thames is also Cleopatra's Needle (bonus, the obelisk was a gift, not stolen).
posted by Don_K at 2:16 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
posted by Don_K at 2:16 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
One of London’s very nicest things! Lots of great suggestions of which Postman’s park is a classic and I also love St Dunstan’s… I’ll add Abney Park cemetery , wild and beautiful. And ..maybe not quite a park but Dalston Curve Garden
posted by tardigrade at 2:30 PM on June 28
posted by tardigrade at 2:30 PM on June 28
Yes to Dalston Curve.
Off Piccadilly, the little garden of St James's Church is a boon and a blessing (and a secret way through to Jermyn Street)
I am giving you one of my best secrets: St John's Lodge garden is a mini-park inside Regent's Park of which few people are aware. You need to get to the Inner Circle; the entrance is about two o'clock from due north. It has gates which shut in late afternoon (later in summer). It looks a bit "estate garden," but it's been open to the public since 1928 and is free of charge. Make sure you explore all the "rooms" including the secluded circle of espaliered lime trees at one end.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:49 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
Off Piccadilly, the little garden of St James's Church is a boon and a blessing (and a secret way through to Jermyn Street)
I am giving you one of my best secrets: St John's Lodge garden is a mini-park inside Regent's Park of which few people are aware. You need to get to the Inner Circle; the entrance is about two o'clock from due north. It has gates which shut in late afternoon (later in summer). It looks a bit "estate garden," but it's been open to the public since 1928 and is free of charge. Make sure you explore all the "rooms" including the secluded circle of espaliered lime trees at one end.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:49 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
If you go to Waterloo Station:
Opposite the station is St John’s Waterloo, a church surrounded by a garden that’s open during the day and free to access. Don’t miss the little art-gardens behind the church.
Just south on the corner of Lower Marsh there is a little scrap of green called Millennium Green. It's kind of ordinary but people do use it and hang out. There are mature trees and green hills and a pond with paths and a surprising giant spider sculpture. Go between 12 and 2 for amazing Caribbean barbecue— just look for the tent with smoke billowing out of it.
Cross the street to the Old Vic. Opposite it is Emma Cons Gardens, really more of a paved square, honestly pretty shabby-- but notable in that it was the hangout of all the delivery drivers during the pandemic. They used to play impromptu football there, it was sweet to watch.
Turn right past the Old Vic and then second left into Ufford Street. Here you will find Ufford Street Gardens: shady, tiny, quiet and perfectly formed. Cultivated flowerbeds and stands of wild nettles.
Exit north through the passage into Mitre Road. Keep going north till you hit Roupell Street, take a right, then a left up Hatfields. On your left will be Hatfields Green, site of a former envelope factory, very nicely landscaped for its tiny size.
When you hit the next big road, Stamford Street, cross it and turn left. A block along is Bernie Spain Gardens— well worth exploring. The declivity in the centre gets muddy if it’s rained recently. You might cross Duchy Street into neighbouring Coin Street Gardens and have a look there.
A little further east towards Borough, if you get there at a time when it’s open, there’s really nowhere else like Crossbones Graveyard. It’s thought to have been a paupers’ graveyard, and it might have been built over if it hadn’t been ‘discovered’ by a local shaman in 1996, who claimed that a long-dead sex worker had spoken to him and revealed its history. Pretty much nothing he said about it is provable, but it captured the local imagination and today it is honoured as a memorial garden for “the outcast dead”. Well worth a visit.
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:45 PM on June 28 [3 favorites]
Opposite the station is St John’s Waterloo, a church surrounded by a garden that’s open during the day and free to access. Don’t miss the little art-gardens behind the church.
Just south on the corner of Lower Marsh there is a little scrap of green called Millennium Green. It's kind of ordinary but people do use it and hang out. There are mature trees and green hills and a pond with paths and a surprising giant spider sculpture. Go between 12 and 2 for amazing Caribbean barbecue— just look for the tent with smoke billowing out of it.
Cross the street to the Old Vic. Opposite it is Emma Cons Gardens, really more of a paved square, honestly pretty shabby-- but notable in that it was the hangout of all the delivery drivers during the pandemic. They used to play impromptu football there, it was sweet to watch.
Turn right past the Old Vic and then second left into Ufford Street. Here you will find Ufford Street Gardens: shady, tiny, quiet and perfectly formed. Cultivated flowerbeds and stands of wild nettles.
Exit north through the passage into Mitre Road. Keep going north till you hit Roupell Street, take a right, then a left up Hatfields. On your left will be Hatfields Green, site of a former envelope factory, very nicely landscaped for its tiny size.
When you hit the next big road, Stamford Street, cross it and turn left. A block along is Bernie Spain Gardens— well worth exploring. The declivity in the centre gets muddy if it’s rained recently. You might cross Duchy Street into neighbouring Coin Street Gardens and have a look there.
A little further east towards Borough, if you get there at a time when it’s open, there’s really nowhere else like Crossbones Graveyard. It’s thought to have been a paupers’ graveyard, and it might have been built over if it hadn’t been ‘discovered’ by a local shaman in 1996, who claimed that a long-dead sex worker had spoken to him and revealed its history. Pretty much nothing he said about it is provable, but it captured the local imagination and today it is honoured as a memorial garden for “the outcast dead”. Well worth a visit.
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:45 PM on June 28 [3 favorites]
The last time I visited London we didn't have a lot of time for wandering but these stood out (also some people perhaps to look at the works of).
For reasonably modern look at Jubilee Park, Canary Wharf , it's ~1.3 Hectares, and gets very busy, there's also some interesting sculptures by Igor Mitoraj (I went mainly for the sculptures). It's one of the most Capitalist spaces I've seen, but it probably helps keep people sane. I took a lot of images there as there's a lot of contrast between human and (created) natural.
Try and contact Dusty Gedge, he is basically mr living roof in London for serious and larger projects, and sometimes does tours of planted roof spaces. I've chatted with him online and he is very very engaged in urban landscaspes, ecology and plants on buildings.
Also look at the writings and research of Dr JC Niala, she has just completed a phd on urban allotment gardens and also brings an African point of view as she's from Kenya. Her twitter is her main contact channel and she often writes about urban spaces.
Seriously consider going to the Lambeth Garden Museum, they have a small (deconsecrated) churchyard garden which is simply intersting -they also occasionally run landscape conferences on serious topics and have a landscape books & papers archive. The act as a clearing house on urban garden info. I found them very socially engaged when I visited. Also have a new project a 5 acre urban garden taking in the road/public space, and in assoc with Transport For London.
Not small but consider visiting, or contact The London Wetland Centre South of the River, and south of Hammersmith, it's a whole created ecology wetlands, livestock .. and attracts a lot of people. I arranged to meet the director before I visited which was well worthwhile.
They are also a good point to start searching if you're seeking urban wetlands e.g. "London Wetland Centre" site:.uk london "SuDS"
posted by unearthed at 8:26 PM on June 28 [2 favorites]
For reasonably modern look at Jubilee Park, Canary Wharf , it's ~1.3 Hectares, and gets very busy, there's also some interesting sculptures by Igor Mitoraj (I went mainly for the sculptures). It's one of the most Capitalist spaces I've seen, but it probably helps keep people sane. I took a lot of images there as there's a lot of contrast between human and (created) natural.
Try and contact Dusty Gedge, he is basically mr living roof in London for serious and larger projects, and sometimes does tours of planted roof spaces. I've chatted with him online and he is very very engaged in urban landscaspes, ecology and plants on buildings.
Also look at the writings and research of Dr JC Niala, she has just completed a phd on urban allotment gardens and also brings an African point of view as she's from Kenya. Her twitter is her main contact channel and she often writes about urban spaces.
Seriously consider going to the Lambeth Garden Museum, they have a small (deconsecrated) churchyard garden which is simply intersting -they also occasionally run landscape conferences on serious topics and have a landscape books & papers archive. The act as a clearing house on urban garden info. I found them very socially engaged when I visited. Also have a new project a 5 acre urban garden taking in the road/public space, and in assoc with Transport For London.
Not small but consider visiting, or contact The London Wetland Centre South of the River, and south of Hammersmith, it's a whole created ecology wetlands, livestock .. and attracts a lot of people. I arranged to meet the director before I visited which was well worthwhile.
They are also a good point to start searching if you're seeking urban wetlands e.g. "London Wetland Centre" site:.uk london "SuDS"
posted by unearthed at 8:26 PM on June 28 [2 favorites]
In the Westminster/Victoria area, there's the Channel 4 Community Garden, Christchurch Gardens, Victoria Tower Gardens, St John's Gardens, Cardinal Place roof garden/terrace and Dean's Yard.
posted by knapah at 5:31 AM on June 29
posted by knapah at 5:31 AM on June 29
One more in the Southwark area:
Gambia Street Gardens
(Google Street View link; hope it works)
If you want to see a small urban pedestrian public space where few but the locals have ever set foot, that's your place. The little paving-stone hills have tiny mosaics set into them depicting local places, and there's a beautiful mural titled "To Be Safely Trans Outside".
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:03 PM on June 29 [1 favorite]
Gambia Street Gardens
(Google Street View link; hope it works)
If you want to see a small urban pedestrian public space where few but the locals have ever set foot, that's your place. The little paving-stone hills have tiny mosaics set into them depicting local places, and there's a beautiful mural titled "To Be Safely Trans Outside".
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:03 PM on June 29 [1 favorite]
Bonnington Square Pleasure Garden in Vauxhall is an interesting example of a community-led small public park project.
posted by amestoy at 1:18 PM on June 30
posted by amestoy at 1:18 PM on June 30
Take part of a day or many days to walk parts of the London Green Chain Walk.
Take the DLR out of Bank/Monument or Tower Gateway on the Lewisham route, and get off at Crossharbour or Mudchute. If coming from Crossharbour, walk down the quayside on the east side or use Limeharbour Road that becomes Eastferry Road to reach Millwall Park, or if using Mudchute, exit the station to the east and cross Eastferry Road to access the park. Walk south through Millwall Park, crossing Manchester Road to access the foot tunnel and cross the Thames to Greenwich. Walk up the hill of Greenwich Park to the observatory and onward south across Blackheath to Blackheath village, to take the train back to London Bridge.
Or take the DLR (any) out of Bank/Monument or Tower Gateway and get off at Limehouse. (If you want to walk along the Cable Street of 1936’s anti-fascist protest "the Battle of Cable Street," get off at the previous stop, Shadwell, you can extend your walk.) Walk west along Ratcliffe Lane then south down Bekesbourne Street, then use St James's Gardens to cross over the entrance to Rotherhithe Tunnel at the south-east corner. Continue east along Horseferry Road and join Narrow Street, continuing east to Ropemakers Fields (and optionally getting refreshment in The Grapes -- a pub with a landlord who says "you shall not pass"). North out of Ropemakers Field and follow the curve of Basin Approach to get onto the bottom end of Regents Canal, which you can follow up to Mile End Park (cross the Green Bridge then back to the canal) and onward to Victoria Park. If that's not enough for you, follow Hertford Union Canal to the east and cross the River Lee Navigation at White Post Lane to access Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and return to central London via Stratford station.
posted by k3ninho at 3:23 PM on June 30
Take the DLR out of Bank/Monument or Tower Gateway on the Lewisham route, and get off at Crossharbour or Mudchute. If coming from Crossharbour, walk down the quayside on the east side or use Limeharbour Road that becomes Eastferry Road to reach Millwall Park, or if using Mudchute, exit the station to the east and cross Eastferry Road to access the park. Walk south through Millwall Park, crossing Manchester Road to access the foot tunnel and cross the Thames to Greenwich. Walk up the hill of Greenwich Park to the observatory and onward south across Blackheath to Blackheath village, to take the train back to London Bridge.
Or take the DLR (any) out of Bank/Monument or Tower Gateway and get off at Limehouse. (If you want to walk along the Cable Street of 1936’s anti-fascist protest "the Battle of Cable Street," get off at the previous stop, Shadwell, you can extend your walk.) Walk west along Ratcliffe Lane then south down Bekesbourne Street, then use St James's Gardens to cross over the entrance to Rotherhithe Tunnel at the south-east corner. Continue east along Horseferry Road and join Narrow Street, continuing east to Ropemakers Fields (and optionally getting refreshment in The Grapes -- a pub with a landlord who says "you shall not pass"). North out of Ropemakers Field and follow the curve of Basin Approach to get onto the bottom end of Regents Canal, which you can follow up to Mile End Park (cross the Green Bridge then back to the canal) and onward to Victoria Park. If that's not enough for you, follow Hertford Union Canal to the east and cross the River Lee Navigation at White Post Lane to access Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and return to central London via Stratford station.
posted by k3ninho at 3:23 PM on June 30
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I used to live on Bloomsbury Square and always loved to visit all the small garden squares in Bloomsbury on walks around the neighborhood. They are all so different. Bloomsbury Square itself is heaving and has too much concrete. Other squares, like Bedford Square are mostly private (for residents with keys) but you can see how different they all are.
I worked in the City and was always fascinated by Finsbury Circus because there wasn't much green space in the City for people to eat their lunch. So tons of people would pack into this tiny park and sit almost back-to-back. Looking it up now, it seems like its undergoing renovation but the website itself you might find interesting as it lays out their thinking for the purpose and function of the new landscape design for this small garden.
posted by vacapinta at 10:03 AM on June 28