Thornhill Bridge Community

Gardens is a partnership initiative

of Islington Council and Thornhill
Bridge Community Gardeners
(TBCG) enabling improved services
and facilities in the community
and the neighbourhood.
TBCG are an environmental regeneration
group whose projects bring together the
whole community. They work with volunteer
residents, schoolchildren and young people
and local businesses in appreciation for
and concern about the natural and built
environment.
Thornhill Bridge
Community Gardeners
To conserve, and help promote
and improve the gardens as a
well-maintained, well-designed
and welcoming place that is
open and accessible to all, where
people can come to relax, learn
about biodiversity and local
heritage, volunteer, and enjoy
small community workshops,
educational activities and social
events in a safe manner in an
urban sanctuary.
MISSION STATEMENT
To protect and manage TBCG in a
way which increases the gardens
value as a habitat for wildlife
and encourages the involvement
of the community and the wider
public. This will help to increase
public awareness of the parks
amenities and importance as a
natural environment.
Environmental regeneration
projects bring together the whole
community,from residents and
schoolchildren to local businesses,
in appreciation for and concern
about the natural and built
environment.
The Regents Canal area extending from
Islington Tunnel to York Way is a Site of
Metropolitan Importance (SMI) and a
nature conservation area. Led by resident
organiser Lisa Tang, the Thornhill Bridge
Community Gardeners have transformed
Treaty Street Canal Side greenspace, the
canal towpath and gardens on either side
of Thornhill Bridge at Caledonian Road,
and the bridge itself, through a series of
projects that combine fundraising, public
art commissioning, building, planting and
enabling nature conservation projects with
creative inspiration.
Once derelict spots, the Thornhill Bridge
Community Gardens now serve as a place
for relaxation and lingering in the green
spaces, and provide a focus of community
involvement for the number of people who
develop and care for it.
Environmental
Regeneration
Seeds of
Change
In 2003 Lisa Tang, on behalf
of the Treaty Street Residents
Association (TSRA), the group
which became Thornhill Bridge
Community Gardeners (TBCG),
approached Islington Greenspace
about developing the potential of
the two pocket gardens on either
side of Thornhill Bridge.
A rst step in enhancing the promising
space was the installation of a steel
decorative gate by artist Monica
Shanta Brown and Free Form.
With assistance from London Borough
of Islington (LBI) and the British Trust for
Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), Lisa
developed a volunteer group which was
instrumental in maintaining and enhancing
the Regents Canal area.
Over the course of the years these volunteers
developed this nature conservation area and
SMI and in 2010 TBCG were awarded the
service level agreement (community contract)
from LBI to maintain all the green areas
between Islington tunnel and York Way.
Thornhill Bridge Community
Gardeners have secured the
licence of the land located on top
of Islington tunnel at Regents
Canal at Muriel Street. This land
has now been turned into a
community food growning area.
In May 2010 Thornhill Bridge Community
Gardeners (TBCG) successfully fundraised
and constructed a new food growing space
along the Regents Canal on top of the
Islington Tunnel; this is part of the Greener
Islington and healthy communities initiative
involving allotments and community food
growing Edible Islington
BTCV volunteers were commissioned to put
in raised beds and carry out the necessary
ground works, then added food growing
containers, composter, seeds, plants, and a
water harvesting system.
TBCG members are managing the site and
growing the food communally and have just
shared out the rst harvest.
Food growing at
Muriel Street
Green wall at
Regents Canal
The living green wall brings a
green construction to Regents
Canal towpath without the loss
of land or space, creating a living
vertical architecture.
Green walls absorb pollution like any other
average tree.
The dense foliage of the ivy on the wall
encourages biodiversity and will be further
enhanced by the making of bird, bat and
insect shelters completely hidden from
public view.
It is low maintenance needing only watering,
trimming and feeding.
Planting owering plants interwoven into the
ivy in spring will inject colour.
The idea behind the green wall is to provide
an eye level, vertical green structure with a
self sustaining support system. The Green
wall has been a partnership project between
Thornhill Bridge Community Gardeners
(TBCG) a voluntary organisation, the Islington
Strategic Partnership Environment and
the Sustainability Board Climate Change
Adaptations Fund.
Length of new handrail
Threshold area regraded and
resurfaced using Lignacite illuminated
block or similar to meet levels of
adjacent road.
New step added to take up level
difference.
Level raised to form ush threshold
Length of new handrail
Existing concrete stepped ramp
broken up and left as rubble area for
ruderal plant colonisation
Possible re-grading to modify slope
Edge of path realigned
Proposed specimen
multistemmed tree
Path realigned to 3m radius
(dashed line indicates existing
alignment)
Large boulders for seating
Existing paving crushed and left as
rubble area for plant colonisation
Length of proposed low rail
Timber edge of path realigned
Length of proposed handrail
Asphalt path topdressed
with resin bound gravel
by Colas Heritage with timber
edging or similar
Length of proposed low rail
Path realigned to
3m radius (dashed
line indicates existing
alignment)
Weather monitoring equpment
Vantage Vue wireless weather station
and console with mounting pole or
similar
Inll woodland planting
Proposed specimen, multistemmed tree
Threshold area resurfaced using Lignacite
illuminated block or similar
NB. all timber post edgings removed and
used to inll invertebrate wall
Existing holly hedge
Remove and replace
interpretation board
Strip of new blocks to highlight path
and replacing existing bricks with new
blocks to highlight nosings of steps
Length of new handrail
Replacing existing bricks with new
blocks to highlight nosings of steps
Length of new handrail
Proposed timber frame invertebrate
wall cladding road buttress, inlled
with recycled material
Strip of new blocks to highlight path
edge
Proposed low, 600mm high timber
frame invertebrate wall next to path
with sedum roof, inlled with recycled
material
Seating log as possible artist
commision
Inll woodland planting
Articial bat roost either on a
freestanding post or attached to
existing tree, tbc
Proposed specimen, multistemmed
tree
Proposed holly hedge to match
existing, 6.5 linear metres
Canal Towpath
C
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The activities of the TBCG
continue to grow in scope and
range. In April 2010 TBCG were
awarded a grant of 100K from
the BIG Lottery Community
Spaces Grant to enhance Thornhill
Bridge Gardens into an outdoor
woodland garden classroom.
Proposed improvements:
Improvement of sight lines
Creative Play Area
Pillars and unnecessary walls removed
Invertebrate walls
Seating Area
Nature Trail
Bat Sanctuary
The outdoor class room will act as:
Educational Space for local schools
Natural Woodland Garden
Community garden
Wildlife sanctuary
Landscape architect Johanna Gibbons
was appointed as lead-architect and local
businesses were commissioned to carry
out engineering and surveying.
Proposed Improvements
Natural Woodland
Garden
Thornhill Bridge
Community Gardens
current layout:
Plan for proposed Natural Woodland Garden
J+L Gibbons LLP
Community consultation showed
that 66 of the consulted public
who lled in the consultation form
is supportive towards the creation
of an outdoor classroom and
additional landscaping at Thornhill
Bridge Community Gardens.
Approximately 300 people with a relevant
connection to the Thornhill Bridge
Community Gardens took part in a series of
events and polls conducted over November
and December (2009). Participants included
local residents, teachers at a local primary
school, employees of Islington or Camden /
Islington businesses, and regular users of the
canal towpath.
The consultation was performed by 2- and
3-d design team Practice + Theory.
Map of Regents Canal and diagrams of community consultation
Practice + Theory
Sketch drawing for proposed Natural Woodland Garden
J+L Gibbons LLP
Natural Woodland
Garden
Location
Consultation
THORNHILL BRIDGE
COMMUNITY GARDENS
New Artwork for
Thornhill Bridge
The local community has been
intrinsic to the regeneration of
the Caledonian Road area just
Noth of Kings Cross. Thornhill
Bridge Community Gardeners are
very much part of this. One of
their latest endeavours has seen
Free Form Arts Trust manage a
project to put artwork on the
railings of what was an overlooked
and somewhat ugly bridge.
The artwork, which is laser cut into steel
panels and mounted on the parapet railings
was created by artists Theo Tang and Rob
Pepper. Rob pepper worked with young
people at Prospex, further up Caledonian
Road, to come up with designs for the
artwork which represent the heritage and
culture of Caledonian Road on the East side
of the bridge and the canal on the West side.
Funding for the project has come from
The London Borough of Islington, The
Rail Link Countryside Initiative and The
Cripplegate Foundation. This project was
managed by Cally Arts.
A new TBCG project on the City
Road Basin of Regents Canal:
A WORLD IN ISLINGTON
People have settled in Islington from
many parts of Britain and from many other
countries. They have brought their cultures
and their skills with them to add to those
that already existed in this area. Goods from
elsewhere in Britain and other countries
travelled on the canal to factories and
warehouses, especially in the 19th century.
These four panels, made by children in
Hanover School working with two local artists
in partnership with Cally Arts and TBCG,
celebrate the continuing journey of people
and goods into Islington and the way we use
the canal in the 21st century.
Hannover Wall
Mosaics
Community at the
heart of projects
Thornhill Bridge
Community Gardens
2003
Treaty Street Mosaics
2004
Key objectives of TBCG community
projects have been:
Encouraging children to think
about the environment and
biodiversity
Inspiring a sense of participation
in a local community
Deterring grafti and encouraging
care of towpath and gardens
Bringing people together in a
creative project with a tangible
outcome
The rst step was the installation of a beautiful
decorative gate, created by artist Monica
Shanta Brown in partnership with Free Form.
Further projects included landscape art and
site-specic mosaics depicting area wildlife,
all developed with involvement from the local
community. The greenspace is now a safe haven
for play and rest in the midst of the urban
environment.
Artist Mary Anne Oliver led nature workshops
with pupils of Copenhagen Primary School,
assisted by nature experts from the Islington
Nature Conservation Centre. The ideas they
generated together became the basis for
a series of mosaics. A disused pavement
was transformed into a bright menagerie.
The children learned about the environment
through involvement with the artistic process.
Outdoor Classroom
2008/11
Community at the
heart of projects
Animal Park
2006
Food Growing Space
Muriel Street 2010
Artist Monica Shanta Brown led nature
workshops with pupils of Copenhagen Primary
School, assisted by nature experts from the
Islington Ecology Centre (IEC). The ideas they
generated together became the basis for a
series of mosaics. The walls of the garden
were transformed into a bright menagerie.
The children learned about the environment
through involvement with the artistic process.
Green Wall at
Regents Canal 2009
Hannover Wall Mosaics
2009/10
Thornhill Bridge Steel
Artwork 2008/09
Regents Canal Steps
2004
First steps towards realising the creative
and community-led spirit of an area include
developing safe, quiet spaces. In 2004 Lisa
Tang led a group of 28 BTCV volunteers in the
creation of steps leading down to the Regents
Canal. Two weeks of manual labour paid off
made of old railway sleepers, the steps are
an economic and harmonious way to improve
access to the canal.
Green Pennant Award 2010/11
for TBCG
Green Pennant Award 2009/10
for TBCG
Thanks to all assisting groups and businesses:
Awards,Recognition
& Acknowledgements
Its great that the council has been able to help local
children and residents realise the potential of this piece
of land
Islington Council Press Release, January 2004
Lisa has raised over 44K for projects in this area.
Islington Eye, 2007
Thornhill Bridge Community Gardens recently received
praise during London Sustainability Weeks when Keith
Morley, Minister for the Environment, held the Islington
Council led projects up as a positive example of
community involvement, regeneration & environmental
sustainability
Islington Council Press Release, July 2004