Old Paradise Gardens (formerly known as Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground, and informally as the Rec) is a 0.76 hectares (1.9 acres) park in Lambeth in the London Borough of Lambeth in London, England, and opened to the public in 1884. Before it became a park, it was a burial ground of St. Mary's Church, Lambeth from 1703 to 1853.
By the early 18th-century the churchyard of St Mary's, Lambeth was full. In order to provide an alternate burial ground for the parish, Archbishop Tenison acquired a market garden in 1703 for the sum of £120. [1] It was consecrated in 1705. [2] It was extended in 1814, and the extension was consecrated in 1816. [1] A watch house was erected in 1825. [1] The burial ground closed in 1853. [1]
By 1880 the former burial ground was unsightly, and the Lambeth vestry decided to turn it into a public garden, which opened in 1884. [1] In 1929 the recreation ground was extended with the acquisition of the site of a glass bottle factory in Whitgift Street. [1] However, by the 1970s the recreation ground had been allowed to deteriorate, and had been largely asphalted over. It has subsequently been restored, and re-landscaped with grassy mounds, a water feature, seating and shrubs and spring bulbs planted. [1] Spring bulbs were donated by the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. [3]
The former watch house is commemorated with a plaque. [1] There were mortuary buildings in the north east corner, which were removed at the time of the restoration in the 1970s. [4]
Gravestones are located around the perimeter of the walls of the gardens; the walls themselves are Grade II listed, [4] and were on the Heritage at Risk Register. [5] Following restoration work in 2021, they have been removed from the register. [6]
In 2013 the park was again refurbished, with new entrance gates, and renamed Old Paradise Gardens. [1] [2]
The Garden Museum run weekly gardening sessions for local residents in the gardens. [7] Future proposals include establishing a cut-flower business, in order to provide revenue for maintenance. [1] Other proposals include wildflower planting to match that at the Garden Museum. [6]
Kennington is a district in South London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between the Lambeth and St George's parishes of those boroughs respectively. It is located 1.4 miles (2.3 km) south of Charing Cross in Inner London and is identified as a local centre in the London Plan. It was a royal manor in the parish of St Mary, Lambeth in the county of Surrey and was the administrative centre of the parish from 1853. Proximity to central London was key to the development of the area as a residential suburb and it was incorporated into the metropolitan area of London in 1855.
Lambeth is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charing Cross, across the river from Westminster Palace. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area experienced some slight growth in the medieval period as part of the manor of Lambeth Palace. By the Victorian era the area had seen significant development as London expanded, with dense industrial, commercial and residential buildings located adjacent to one another. The changes brought by World War II altered much of the fabric of Lambeth. Subsequent development in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has seen an increase in the number of high-rise buildings. The area is home to the International Maritime Organization. Lambeth is home to one of the largest Portuguese-speaking communities in the UK, and Portuguese is the second most commonly spoken language in Lambeth after English.
Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is situated in north Lambeth, London, on the south bank of the River Thames, 400 yards south-east of the Palace of Westminster, which houses Parliament, on the opposite bank.
St Alfege Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Greenwich, part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London. It is of medieval origin and was rebuilt in 1712–1714 to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor.
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Kennington Park is a public park in Kennington, south London and lies between Kennington Park Road and St. Agnes Place. It was opened in 1854 on the site of what had been Kennington Common, where the Chartists gathered for their biggest "monster rally" on 10 April 1848. Soon after this demonstration the common was enclosed and, sponsored by the royal family, made into a public park.
The Garden Museum in London is Britain's only museum of the art, history and design of gardens. The museum re-opened in 2017 after an 18-month redevelopment project.
The General Cemetery in the City of Sheffield, England opened in 1836 and closed for burial in 1978. It was the principal cemetery in Victorian Sheffield with over 87,000 burials. Today it is a listed Landscape on the English Heritage National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. It is also a Local Nature Reserve. It is owned by the City of Sheffield and managed on behalf of the city by a local community group, the Sheffield General Cemetery Trust.
Vauxhall Gardens is a public park in Kennington in the London Borough of Lambeth, England, on the south bank of the River Thames.
Lambeth Walk is a street in Lambeth, London, England, off Lambeth Road. It was at the heart of a working-class residential area and there was a street market.
Gunnersbury Park is a park between Acton, Brentford, Chiswick and Ealing, West London, England. Purchased for the nation from the Rothschild family, it was opened to the public by Neville Chamberlain, then Minister of Health, on 21 May 1926. The park is currently jointly managed by Hounslow and Ealing borough councils. A major restoration project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund was completed in 2018. The park and garden is Grade II listed.
Cross Bones is a disused post-medieval burial ground on Redcross Way in Southwark, south London. Up to 15,000 people are believed to have been buried there. It was closed in 1853.
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Ashby's Mill, often referred to as Brixton Windmill, is a restored grade II* listed tower mill at Brixton in the London Borough of Lambeth. The mill was in Surrey when built and has been preserved.
Springfield Park is a park in Upper Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney.
The two Camberwell cemeteries are close to one another in Honor Oak, south London, England. Both have noteworthy burials and architecture, and they are an important source of socioeconomic data in recording the historical growth and changing demography in the community for the Southwark area since 1855.
Wandle Park is an 8.5-hectare (21-acre) park located in the Broad Green Ward of Croydon, south London, England. It was opened in 1890 by the Mayor of Croydon. The site is protected by Fields in Trust through a legal "Deed of Dedication" safeguarding the future of the space as public recreation land for future generations to enjoy.
The Metropolitan Public Gardens Association is a charity in London for the purposes of the preservation of public parks and gardens, established in 1882. It facilitated the creation of new public open spaces, including from philanthropic landowners within its membership. The MPGA was involved in the formation and development of other amenity organisations. The charity still exists; in recent decades its emphasis has changed to smaller parcels of land and smaller projects within larger spaces, as well as to themed projects. The MPGA was the starting point for the careers of the ground-breaking female landscape gardeners Fanny Wilkinson and Madeline Agar.
Meath Gardens is a 4.1642 hectares park in Bethnal Green in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, England, and opened to the public in 1894. Before it became a park, it was the Victoria Park Cemetery.
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