The place

The Garden Museum is situated at a major road junction at the south end of Lambeth Bridge. Next to the museum is St. Mary’s Gardens, a green space that is ornamentally planted and maintained by volunteers. When Christopher Woodward, director of the museum, learned that Transport for London were working on a new traffic system here he approached them with the idea of collaborating a new public green space and planted public realm.

The brief

We were commissioned to work with Publica, a London-based urban design and public realm practice, on an outline scheme for the area. The aim is to create a new village green for this part of Lambeth, which includes softening of the public realm with planting, green links into the surrounding streets through tree planting and community engagement with residents through improvements to the nearby Old Paradise Gardens on Lambeth High Street.

The design

Redirected public access through St. Mary’s Gardens will reinstate the historic route of Lambeth Road. Taking the local vernacular of high walls from those surrounding both the Garden Museum and Lambeth Palace, a protective walled building is proposed to enclose the north end of St. Mary’s Gardens and provide facilities for education, refreshments and a dedicated flower shop. A tree planting strategy aims to spread the green influence of the Garden Museum out into the surrounding streets, most notably Lambeth High Street, where plans for the development of Old Paradise Gardens will be discussed in public consultation, but might include a community orchard, micro-allotments, teaching facilities and refreshed ornamental planting. It is also proposed to revitalise the planting beds immediately on Albert Embankment with new hard landscaping and planting.