Christ Church, Spitalfields

Competition to redesign the public churchyard and garden adjoining a historic Hawksmoor church.

Client
Christ Church, Spitalfields

Location
London

Collaboration
Model by Jackie Hands Architectural Models

Date
2012 – garden competition – runner up.

The redesign of the original churchyard into a public garden.

With the redevelopment of the existing youth centre into a new nursery with community hall and the development of the church crypt into a cafe; there was an opportunity to redesign the garden space to a new public garden and resource for the church and the community.

The decision was taken not to create a designer space, but to enhance a feeling of evolution, reflecting the way the community has developed and changed. Not to throw away the old, but to reuse and remould into the new garden.

Working with the entrances, at each of those there is a feeling of containment that releases as you approach the heart space. Located away from the main bustle of Spitalfields it provides a place of retreat surrounded by green and planted.

As you approach this space the activity evolves from for example, planting, to seating, to cafe. So as the space opens the activity intensifies.