Saint Mary’s Churchyard Park
Location London, UK | Client London Borough of Southwark | Size 1 hectare | Awards BALI Award for Regeneration 2008 | Status Completed 2008 | Tags Parks and Civic Spaces
MSP transformed this patch of unloved city scrubland into a prominent public space.
The churchyard burial ground, secluded and ignored for a century, was peppered with tomb stones and the foreboding railings of the nineteenth century. The project aimed to reorganise the park while retaining its historic qualities, link it to the city and make it a desirable and accessible place for local people. The park is now a centre of activity, attractive and safe, and enjoyed by everyone in the community.
At the time of the landscaping works, very little visual evidence remained that the site had been a churchyard. The only remnants were a small number of gravestones placed along the boundary of Churchyard Row, the listed railings which were extensively restored, and the clock tower memorial stone.
MSP’s design team took great care to preserve the old churchyard trees; views into the park were also enhanced by removing imposing earth mounds, a shrubbery and other obstructions that had been keeping the churchyard obscured.
At night, the old burial ground is lit by coloured lights modelled on belisha beacons. These lights illuminate the entrance to the plaza in a grid, and create an intimate and enticing atmosphere for the evening visitors.
A number of old vaults and burial plots, uncovered during construction, were carefully recorded by an archaeologist and left undisturbed. Today the site remains consecrated ground and continues to be an open space for the use and enjoyment of children and the greater public.
During the fourteenth century, St. Mary’s Churchyard was the site of an old medieval parish church, Saint Mary of Newington. The main structure of the church was demolished in 1720, leaving only the Clock Tower as a historical landmark. The church was rebuilt and opened in March 1721. In 1876 it was decided that the church should be pulled down and that the churchyard should remain as an open space for the benefit of the community, The site had been an open park ever since.
In 2007, Southwark Council re-landscaped St. Mary’s Churchyard with the financial assistance of the London Development Agency as part of the £1.5 billion Elephant and Castle Regeneration Scheme. The regeneration programme was initiated to improve the lives of local residents through the provision of greater and more efficient access to housing, transport, health, education, training and employment.
The refurbished St Mary’s Churchyard at Newington Butts was officially opened on 11 May 2008 by the Mayor of Southwark and rededicated by the Bishop of Woolwich.
“This park highlights what regeneration in Southwark is all about”, said Cllr Paul Noblet at the launch. “It’s something everybody can use, regardless of how much you earn, where you live, where you were born.”
Jon Abbot, Project Director for the Elephant and Castle Development Framework at Southwark Council, said: “The refurbishment of St Mary’s Churchyard demonstrated Southwark Council’s commitment to providing high quality public realm at the Elephant and Castle. Together with the redevelopment of the old London Park Hotel and Castle House sites, and the planned removal of the southern roundabout, it heralded the first phase of the Elephant and Castle’s ambitious regeneration programme.”
The project won the 2008 British Association of Landscape Industries Award for Regeneration.
