London Trip

On Thursday 13th June, some of the tf team had a CPD trip to London. An Instagram reel of the trip put together by Emily can be viewed here:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8Mry4RscaG/?igsh=MTdma3VtOXQzcXo0cw==

The trip organised by Lionel involved a pre-planned circular walking route taking in multiple landscape projects including…

Originally created in 1977 to mark the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the site was formerly used for the Dome of Discovery and the adjacent Skylon during the Festival of Britain in 1951. Re-opened in 2012 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee gardens developed a flat area of existing grass into a multi-use park with varying topography, extensive planting, play areas, grass lawn spaces and hard paved event spaces.

Opening in 2001, the landscape spaces around the Tate Modern Gallery designed by landscape architects VOGT, explore the connections with nature and the River Thames. The design comprises of a large hard and soft open public spaces and planted embankments. The clusters of birch trees divide the spaces providing the sense of being in a woodland in the centre of London.

Intricate, naturalistic garden spaces designed by Gillespies that sit between the modern architecture of luxury apartments. The garden spaces include tree-lined groves of alder and birch and include a diverse range of woodland style planting for a natural aesthetic to the spaces.

This predominantly hard landscape scheme and network of open spaces was designed by terra firma’s director, Lionel Fanshawe, while he was a Senior Landscape Architect at Charles Funke Associates in the early 1990s, and was completed in 1997 with some on-going subconsultancy from him after joining terra firma.

The original Barbican development was built in the 1970s. Redeveloped in 2013, a new planting scheme was developed by Nigel Dunnett. The new approach includes 3 ‘plant communities’, combinations of planting that operate as natural ecosystems and compliment each other. Rather than blocks or groups of planting, the plants are a carefully considered mixture of single species.

Opened to the public in 2015, Pancras Square forms part of a larger masterplan for the 72 acre King’s Cross redevelopment. The urban square designed by Townshend is located between the stations of King’s Cross St Pancras. The space includes cascading water features interspersed with open lawn areas and edged by naturalistic planting beds. The development is being maintained by Nurture.

Part of the larger masterplan for the King’s Cross redevelopment, the design includes Handyside Gardens, a linear viaduct across the Regents Canal, canalside planting, Cubitt Square, Gasholder Park and a range of planters across the site.

Commissioned by Argent, Tom Stuart-Smith Ltd created a calming garden space inspired by early Persian garden traditions with a balance of sun, shade and water. Opened to the public in 2021, it is one of a number of public squares and garden spaces forming a part of the King’s Cross Redevelopment.

Recently opened to the public, the landscape design by LDA includes a six-acre riverside park, Power Station Park, a high street, a boulevard and a public square along with a new tube station plaza, natural gardens, roofscapes and play spaces.

The day was appropriately ended with a CPD session that included few drinks and a meal at Brewdog in Waterloo!