landscape.is.deb: Self Directed Field Study

On Monday 2 March I visited the Grand Union Canal as part of a self-directed field study trip. The aim was to visit a canal that has been regenerated in some way and that will inspire our final project for year 2 - Re:visiting the Wey and Arun canal project.

I chose the Grand Union because of it's character and the very different identities it has along the stretch from Scrubs Lane through to Little Venice. It has a Nature Walk and a small 'Mary Seacole pocket park' near the gas works and Scrubs Lane. Here although it is overlooked by an industrial zone, it feels quite rural, with a wide sky above your head and little traffice noise.

Below is a map I put together showing the different identities of the stretch between Scrubs lane in the north west, moving east to Little Venice.

Once you pass Kensal Green Cemetery and Sainsbury's, it becomes more of an urban canal, with the odd splash of graffiti and denser buildings.....these buildings (aside from the old Virgin building with green lawns) have 'turned their backs' on the canal but the newer developments further down are restricted from doing this and must agree to British Waterways standard of embracing the canal and opening up to it.

The most inspirational part of this trip, was the Meanwhile Gardens Wildlife Garden. I touched on something vaguely similar in my initial Wey and Arun project which was a healing garden for the special needs children of neighbouring Gosden House school. Meanwhile Gardens however works in conjunction with Kensington and Chelsea Mind, an organisation involved in rehabilitating people with drug and alcohol addictions and mental health issues. They are encouraged to help out in a small section of the Wildlife Garden, involved in things such as planting and trimming hedgerows etc.

Aside from this, Meanwhile Gardens is a small (4 acre) urban sanctuary, in an area where a lot of people do not have gardens. It is a wonderfully peaceful space, creating habitats for various species of wildife - birds, insects and microinvertebrates. The history behind it is inspirational too, that a young sculptor 33 years ago looked at the derelict land left over after the council tore down terraced houses, and wantedto build a community garden. The council gave him 'temporary permission' and so he named it 'Meanwhile Gardens'. The gardens prospered and the name stuck and it really is a wonderful place, with access for everyone, the Nature Walks, Moroccan Garden, Meanwhile Skatebowl (oldest in the UK) and the Playhut.

Moving further down the canal brings more mixed housing and residential moorings. A new pathway specifically for cyclists was laid due to the narrowing towpath and heavy moorings. It runs alongside the canal and old church. Marked out with green gravel and a brown pedestrian alongside, it has taken the strain off pedestrians on the small towpath.

There are many things worth mentioning down this end but since Meanwhile is my focus the only other thing I will mention is Rembrandt Gardens at Little Venice - a lovely 'English Garden'....with manicured lawns and enchanting planting. It has wondeful views over the island at Little Venice and so the benches have been laid diagonally facing the canal. Behind some terraced planting climbs the wall and due to the sunken nature of the garden, the traffic surrounding the garden is drowned out.