Wednesday, January 15, 2020
The National Trust is 125 years old this week.
One of its co-founders was Octavia Hill.
Octavia Hill is also the creator of the Red Cross Garden.
The Red Cross Garden is in Southwark.
You'll find it on Redcross Way near Borough High Street.
It is not connected to the actual Red Cross.
It opened in 1888.
Octavia wanted to create recreational space for Southwark's poor.
She hoped it would be an ‘an open-air sitting-room’.
The gardens were laid out with flowerbeds and a small pond.
The annual Southwark flower show was held here.
Octavia also wanted to showcase decent housing.
Redcross Cottages form a terrace on the western flank.
They look splendid, and are still inhabited.
The garden was repurposed during World War 2.
50 years later the Bankside Open Spaces Trust restored it.
They did a truly excellent job (and the pond is back).
Octavia would be proud.
<< click for Newer posts
click for Older Posts >>
click to return to the main page
