OGSW 2019 Guidebook - Islington by London Gardens Trust

Melissa Garden Bee Sanctuary © Anna Barclay

A Sunday walk around Islington

Recommended by Area Coordinator Lisa Barr This walk links OGSW gardens open on Sunday and other green spaces open to the public. Please check garden opening times before starting your walk. 2.6 or 4.2 miles, some steps and uneven ground. A walk around Islington will showcase some of the best community gardening on offer in central London, as well as taking you along the towpath of Regent’s Canal, past the plentiful restaurants and cafés of Upper Street, and through the wide, open spaces of Highbury Fields. Starting at Angel tube station, walk through Chapel Market, where Islington Farmers’ Market runs from 10am to 2pm on Sundays, to the organic and wildlife-friendly Culpeper Community Garden (page 32), one of our star community spaces. Retrace your steps back to Islington High Street and walk towards Regent’s Canal via Duncan Street. Here you will find Hanover Road Towpath Garden, which is tended by local schoolchildren. Take the second bridge over to Shepherdess Walk. The Growing Kitchen (page 25), with its micro allotments, pond and orchard, is a short walk away.

ISLINGTON

Retrace your steps back to the canal and cross the bridge to reach Canalside Square. Continue through Union Square, created in the mid-19th century, then on to Rector Street before crossing over Prebend Street. St James Close (page 33, open 2-5pm) is a charming communal garden. Head up to Essex Road and then on to

Cross Street. From here to Upper Street, there are many cafés and restaurants to choose from if you’d like a refreshment stop. Continue until you reach Compton Terrace Gardens, created in 1823 by the Marquis of Northampton. Melissa Bee Garden (page 33), situated in the shadow of the Gothic Union Chapel, is a small and peaceful sanctuary for bees. The walk can be finished here, where buses run from Upper Street back to Angel, or, alternatively, you can choose to head to Islington’s largest park, Highbury Fields. From Ronalds Road, continue to Arvon Road and visit the Arvon Road Allotment Group (page 32) on the right. These terraced allotments lead down to the railway and are an oasis of calm in the shadow of the Emirates Stadium. On the other side of the tracks you can find The Olden Community Garden (page 33), walking via Drayton Park station. Enjoy the gardens and woodland here before heading back to Highbury Corner, where you can get a tube or bus back to central London.

IS1. Arvon Road Allotment Group N5 1PR Map 2

IS8. The Olden Community Garden N5 1NH Map 2

Local residents created these allotments on disused land at the Arvon Road site in the late 1970s, using funds from Greater London Council (GLC) and Islington Council’s Operation Clean Up. The plots are terraced along the adjacent freight railway line with access to the lower level only possible by ladders. The land also features a small mixed woodland and pond and there are strong community ties to the network of streets around it. The site is important historically as it was created by GLC funding and has always been independently managed and self-funded. Allotment members will be available to explain the site’s social history and show people around. Open: Sunday 11am-5pm Entrance: Arvon Road Access: The top tier of the allotments will be open to the public as this is a flat area with paving along the side; access to the wood is via a woodland path which is not suitable for wheelchair users Nearest stations: Drayton Park, Holloway Road, Arsenal Buses: 43, 153, 263, 271

IS2. Barnsbury Wood N1 1BW Map 2

Barnsbury Wood is a little hidden gem in Islington and the smallest local nature reserve in London. The site was originally the garden of a house built in the 1840s. Left to nature, this hidden woodland has become home to a range of wildlife including the long-tailed tit, lesser stag beetle, common toad and the 16-spot ladybird. The wood is owned and managed by Islington Council and opens to the public on Tuesday afternoons (and on Saturday afternoons in summer, thanks to community volunteers). At other times, school groups use the site for environmental education sessions. Staff will be on site to answer questions. Open: Sunday 10am-5pm Entrance: Crescent Street, between Huntingdon Street and Thornhill Crescent Access: Rough, unsurfaced and narrow paths around the wood – can be muddy after heavy rain; no slopes or steps Nearest stations: Caledonian Road & Barnsbury, Caledonian Road Buses: 17, 91, 153, 259, 274 Website: www.islington.gov.uk

Star Community Garden

IS3. Culpeper Community Garden N1 0FJ Map 2

This multi award-winning community garden project – named after herbalist Nicholas Culpeper – received an ‘Outstanding’ rating in the 2018 RHS ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ scheme. It has also received the RHS National Certificate of Distinction, won Islington in Bloom’s Best Community Garden category and received the additional Pattenden award for the best wildlife entry. The garden has a communal lawn, ponds, rose pergola, wildlife area and a dry garden, inspired by Beth Chatto as part of Islington’s climate-change adaptation strategy. Culpeper Community Garden works with disadvantaged community groups, provides a teaching resource to local primary schools and stages events and activities for members and locals. Open: Sunday 10am-5pm Entrance: 2 Dignum Street, off Cloudesley Road Access: Level access via Culpeper Open Space Nearest station: Angel Buses: 4, 19, 38, 43, 56, 73, 205, 214, 274, 394, 476 Website: www.culpeper.org.uk WC

The Olden Community Garden is a haven for wildlife, an oasis of quiet amidst the hustle and bustle of Highbury and Islington and a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. The garden, which is run by volunteers, covers more than two acres of open space off Whistler Street and Drayton Park, on a former railway embankment. It is located within a five-minute walk of the Emirates Stadium, has a disabled toilet and a small Garden House. There is also a fully accessible formal garden, a woodland, orchard, wildflower meadow and vegetable growing spaces. Open: Sunday 11am-5pm Entrance: Whistler Street, opposite No 22 Access: Part of the garden is on a former railway embankment; the formal garden is level and has disabled access, as do the toilets and Garden House, but the rest of the garden is only accessible by steps with uneven surfaces Nearest stations: Drayton Park, Arsenal Buses: 4, 17, 19, 43, 153, 263, 271, 393 Website: www.oldengarden.org

King Henry’s Walk Garden © Diana Jarvis

IS4. King Henry’s Walk Garden N1 4NX Map 2

The Duchess of Cambridge visited this award-winning organic garden earlier in the year to hear about the benefits of urban green space and see how the garden brings people together through gardening and food growing. Run by community volunteers, it contains growing plots for cultivation by residents. Organic gardening methods help to encourage biodiversity, and sustainability is key: recycled materials are used where possible, all garden waste is composted and rainwater is collected. A year-round programme of educational workshops and events engage the whole community, and ornamental flower borders, pond and birdlife and a small woodland area also provide enjoyment. Open: Saturday 12-4pm, Sunday 12-4pm Entrance: 11C King Henry’s Walk (to the left of the adventure playground) Nearest stations: Canonbury, Dalston Junction, Dalston Kingsland Buses: 21, 30, 38, 56, 141, 277 Conditions: Uneven paths in woodland area Website: www.khwgarden.org.uk WC

IS5. Lever Street Community Garden EC1V 3SW Map 7

This award-winning garden project was launched in 2013 after the local community and Islington Council joined forces to create the Lever Street Community Garden. There are 17 raised wooden beds which enable local families and individuals to learn about and enjoy growing vegetables, fruit and flowers. These are surrounded by fruit trees, shrubs and flowers. There is also a water supply, seating area and communal toolbox. The garden received the prestigious Green Flag Award in 2017 and 2018 - the mark of a quality park or green space. It also received Islington’s Pontecorvo prize in 2014. With the Council’s agreement, the garden opens monthly to visitors. Gardeners from the team led by Rose Heatley will be present. Open: Saturday 1-4.30pm, Sunday 1-4.30pm Entrance: Lever Street, opposite Mora Street Access: Woodchip-covered paths Nearest station: Old Street Buses: 21, 43, 55, 76, 135, 141, 205, 214, 243, 271

IS6. Melissa Garden Bee Sanctuary N1 2UN Map 2

This hidden bee sanctuary – named after the ancient Greek word for ‘bee’ – was established by a local educational charity, New Acropolis Cultural Association, in 2012 to create a protected space for bees. Volunteers built the sanctuary in the heart of London’s Islington, and still maintain it. An alchemical-themed living wall, which incorporates some medicinal plants, has been added to the garden recently. Melissa Garden Bee Sanctuary lies in a pocket of land behind a Georgian house and next to the Union Chapel, first built in 1809. Its unique feel is down to the Victorian Gothic church tower which overshadows this very small garden. Open: Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-5pm Entrance: 19 Compton Terrace, via side gate Access: Mainly level access but a step leads down into the garden bridged with a ramp; entrance door is only 82cm wide so may be difficult for wheelchair users Nearest station: Highbury and Islington Buses: 4, 19, 30, 43, 271 Website: www.newacropolisuk.org

IS9. St James Close N1 8PH Map 2

This private communal garden in St James Close is surrounded on three sides by a church and Victorian almshouses. The Church of England owns the property and most of its residents are connected to the church in some way. There is a small lawned area and beds of herbaceous perennials and shrubs. This is a hidden retreat in an otherwise bustling and densely populated area and it is warmly appreciated by residents. The gardener will be present during the weekend. Open: Saturday 2-5pm, Sunday 2-5pm Entrance: Bishop Street, behind St James’ Church Access: Two steps up from street Nearest station: Angel Buses: 38, 56, 73, 271, 341, 476

IS7. Museum of the Order of St John EC1V 4JJ Map 7

This Cloister Garden was re-landscaped and planted with medicinal plants and herbs to showcase the work of the Knights Hospitaller and to remember the former gardens of the medieval Clerkenwell Priory, as part of the 2010 redevelopment of the Museum of the Order of St John. The garden offers historical as well as horticultural interest and is a green oasis of calm and reflection in central London. Highlights include its towering cardoons, pleasant scents, old and new architecture and its intriguing historical connections. Members of the team of volunteer gardeners will be present. Open: Saturday 5-9pm Entrance: St John’s Square Access: Narrow paths among low flowerbeds; step-only access (seven steps without handrails) Nearest station: Farringdon Buses: 55, 63, 243 Website: www.museumstjohn.org.uk WC