Company Details
Company NameREARDONSMITH LANDSCAPE
Address10-13 The Leathermarket
Weston Street
London
United Kingdom
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NameEDWARD FREEMAN
Job TitlePrincipal Partner
EmailEmail hidden; Javascript is required.
Phone07963757755
Role of this organisation in the project being enteredLead Consultant & Landscape Architect
Category
  • Landscape + Public Realm - The space around, between and within buildings that is publicly accessible, including streets, squares, parks and open spaces. These areas and settings support or facilitate public life and social interaction. 
  • Light + Surface - The innovative use of light and the way it is inextricably linked to surfaces, whether it’s the effect the light has on the surrounding surfaces or the materials used to create the light.  
Name of organisation entering the Awards (if different from above)REARDONSMITH LANDSCAPE & City of Westminster / Victoria BID
Role of this organisation in the project being entered (if different from above)Lead Consultant / Landscape Architect & Client
Project Name (written how it should appear)Christchurch Gardens, Victoria, London
Project AddressChristchurch Gardens
Victoria Street
London
United Kingdom
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Client NameDavid Beamont
Designer/Architect NameEd Freeman
Contractor NameFM Conway
Project Description

Cost of Project: £2,840,000
Completion Date: September 2020

The history of this unique green space stretches back to the 13th Century and it is a former burial ground of the church adjacent to Westminster Abbey. Several notable figures are buried on the site including Ignatius Sancho (the first black Briton to vote).

Christchurch Gardens was bombed in WWII and became a public park in the 1950s yet in recent years it has suffered from anti-social behaviour, poor light, failing planting, lack of seating and barriers which limit access. The initiative to improve this space was led by the Victoria Business Improvement District as part of a programme of greening and public realm improvements. The design was adopted by Westminster City Council and constructed under their Highways Framework Contract. The site reopened to the public in September 2020.

Storytelling, accessibility, and biodiversity are key components of the transformation of Christchurch Gardens which has created a welcoming new public realm that invites people to explore, enjoy and learn.
Key project objectives addressed in the design include:

• Creating a space that people enjoy spending time in and where they can engage with each other and to increase opportunities for seating.
• Maximising the site’s biodiversity through diverse planting with extended flowering periods of pollinator friendly plants.
• Establishing a relationship between the gardens and adjacent Strutton Ground market recognising pedestrian desire lines.
• To design out crime and address anti-social behaviour.
• To allow for the future relationship of adjacent premises to the gardens.

One of the greatest successes of the project is the balancing of the past with the present. Located within a conservation area the site is surrounded by a variety of architectural styles from red-brick Victorian mansion blocks, brown granite post-modern towers, to the white patterned facades of contemporary buildings. The design balances this varied vernacular with a curated material palette reflective of the colours and materiality of its surroundings, to complement the setting and allow the new planting to become the focus.

The design incorporates subtle design hints and storytelling that acknowledges its historical links to Christ Church and the burial ground, with improvements to its layout to provide a restful neighbourhood green space to aid health and wellbeing, especially relevant during Covid-19. Key improvements include; a planting design that promotes biodiversity and supports pollinators, new habitat incidentals, improved signage and a new history panel, and the introduction of SuDS treatments.

All three existing statues were retained in the design including a bronze charter scroll of the Suffragette Movement (Caxton Hall, the movement’s meeting place, is opposite).

Materials Used

A composition of natural stone, hardwood timber and bronzed finishes instils a character of permanence and historical importance to the new space, referencing the colours and materiality of its surroundings, with robust elements finessed with elegant lines and intricate details, akin to the materiality and presence of the former church and gravestones.

A unique paving design utilises bespoke finishes in a contemporary manner to tell the story of the site’s hidden underground history. A bold geometric pattern with granite coffin shaped pavers appears ‘hidden’ when dry to transform when wettened by rain, with subtler Yorkstone coffin shaped pavers on pathways.

Detailing alludes to ecclesiastical forms, with the stone wall set out as a series of sweeping contemporary curved arches with smaller arch shape notches to create rhythm and to deter skateboarding. Oversized radii edges on the top coping stone reference the bold large scale stone detailing on the former church to give a feeling of permanence to the design and reference the impact of the stone church and chapel that once stood nearby.

The timber and bronze effect benches take inspiration from the warmer bronze finishes of the existing sculptures on site. Arm rests are placed to aid the infirm to sit and are detailed to integrate seamlessly and in harmony with the radii of adjacent stone coping. Bolted metal seat supports echo the sturdy bracing found on church doors.

Sustainability

The transformation of Christchurch Gardens has been informed by historical research and site investigations and surveys, guided by best practice and steered by community consultation to deliver quantifiable results.

Extensive multi-faceted collaboration was undertaken through consultation with adjacent landowners, local residents and workers, the Diocese of London (landowner), the Ministry of Justice, and multiple council teams. Community consultation was also undertaken, for example with Victoria BID’s Public Realm Steering Group and a Project Board to gain feedback and support from stakeholders. A 3-day public consultation event was also held which attracted over 100 attendees.

The project was jointly funded by Westminster City Council which adopted the design and the Victoria Business Improvement District which initiated the project. The environmental improvement of Christchurch Gardens forms part of a series of urban greening interventions and public realm enhancements that have been led by Victoria BID over recent years to provide a wider network of green infrastructure across the area. The approach is informed by reports such as their Green Infrastructure Audit and a public realm strategy.

To improve habitats that encourage biodiversity, the planting design selected over 50% of species from the RHS ‘Plants for Pollinators’ list, with 79 new species, totalling over 3,700 new plants within the proposals. Log piles to attract Stag Beetles and bird and bat boxes were included with the completed scheme. Delayed pruning of seed heads and grasses was proposed during winter to extend foraging for birds.

To maximise a flexible and fully accessible central lawn space, planting was positioned around the garden boundaries adjacent to walkways to create a colourful edge, alluding to the former church’s stained-glass windows and to allow enjoyment both inside the garden and from surrounding streets. The addition of Yew provides evergreen structure whilst referencing its traditional use in churchyards.

Planting proposals focus on improving biodiversity and providing a beautiful space throughout the year with new seating placed adjacent to planting to position seated users close to floral displays and paths planted with Star Jasmine climbers providing additional scent. Selected tree removal in the centre of the garden provides much needed light and clear views to the sky, framed by the mature trees along the garden edges, affording an improved connection to daylight.

The design of the gardens sought to create flexible edges to respond to future redevelopment of adjacent sites to the north and west, with removable climber screening to the northern boundary and a wide paved area to the western boundary to allow for animation by an active retail/café edge for example.

The SuDS strategy aims to retain 100% of water runoff onsite, through the introduction of permeable paving and subterranean diffusion units. Information about the SuDS treatment is included in the history panel text to raise awareness of this type of approach. Sustainability is also promoted through the provision of a drinking water fountain to encourage water bottle reuse.

The prevalence of green public space in the city has never been as important as it is now for health and wellbeing. Christchurch Gardens is about creating a place informed by the changing ways in which people are living with emphasis on peoples’ health and wellbeing, encouraging awareness in sustainability, climate change and to become custodians of their city spaces. Since opening the scheme has prompted positive feedback from businesses and residents.

Issues Faced

The previous site had a challenging set of conditions with a dense central tree canopy casting shade across the central lawn area and providing roosting for pigeons. Failing planting and planting beds with large areas of bare soil further deteriorated the garden’s character. Access into the centre of the space was uninviting with a timber balustrade and long line of hedging limiting access to the central lawn space, and path routes did not connect to the desire lines of the surrounding streetscape. The space did not serve the needs of the surrounding community, and as such the space was underused and at night was unappealing, leading to the prevalence of anti-social behaviour.

As a former burial ground, the subterranean conditions were carefully investigated to understand the extent, position and below ground levels of burials on site in conjunction with the Museum of London Archaeology. Tree roots were also investigated with an arboricultural survey, trial pits and root protection area plan informing the design and an archaeological watching brief set up to observe the site works..

Research by ReardonSmith Landscape at the City of Westminster Archives also uncovered an 1846 burial record book. The 136 hand-drawn plates were photographed and ‘stitched’ to form a map revealing Sancho’s burial place. This burial map also helped inform trial pit investigations.

The surface materials chosen seek to create a robust durable public realm that provides a new flexible space for the community.

Additional Comments

Lead Designer: ReardonSmith Landscape LLP (Landscape Architect & Lead Consultant)

Client: City of Westminster / Victoria BID

Design Team: Environmental Protection Group (Drainage/SuDS), Tim O’Hare Associates (Soils), Light Bureau (Lighting), ToThePoint (Graphics), WSP (Engineering, WCC Highways Framework Contract).

Project Management/Coordination: Gardiner & Theobald.

Construction: FM Conway (WCC Highways Framework Contract).

Other Team Members: Continental Landscapes (Planting), The Ecology Consultancy (Ecology), MOLA (Archaeology), Soundings (Consultation), Leslie Clark (Principal Designer pre construction), Robinson Low Francis (Quantity Surveyor), ARA and Plowman Craven (Surveys), BDB Pitmans (Legal), Corrie-Bond French (Writer/Copyeditor), Gristwood and Toms (Trees), Street Tree Ltd (Trees), Barrell Tree Consultancy (Arboriculture).

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