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Camden Square was built gradually from the 1830s-50s, forming the centrepiece of the Marquis of Camden's New Town development. The main feature was once the neo-Gothic St Paul's Church, demolished in 1956. The Midland Railway built a tunnel through the square in the 1860s. The central gardens were for the private use of the square's inhabitants, and remain overlooked by surviving terraces on most of three sides. It was maintained by a Committee of inhabitants out of rates levied on the occupiers; the first rules and regulations were drawn up in 1845. Features included gravelled pathways, lawns, trees, flower and shrub borders. In 1928 it was surrounded by a lilac hedge and had lawns, tennis courts, shrubberies and fine trees. Now enclosed by modern railings, the original layout of serpentine walks survives with some mature London plane, oak, horse chestnut and shrubs. Camden Council took over management in the 1950s and built an adventure playground on the tennis courts site and later a play centre. The square was home to a Climatological Station, founded by George Symons, former president of the Royal Meteorological Society, and to many artists.
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Although Camley Street Natural Park only opened in 1985 it is a legacy of the pioneering conservation projects set up by the GLC's London Ecology Unit. Situated adjacent to the Regent's Canal, from Victorian times until 1960s the site was used as a coal depot, but then became derelict. Acquired by the GLC in 1981 for a lorry park, local people successfully lobbied against this with the London Wildlife Trust. As a result it became a community nature park, attracting a diverse range of wetland species of flora and fauna. It contains woodland, marshland, reed beds around a pond, wild flower meadow and garden area. In 2020 a new visitor centre building was completed by Ash Construction, and other improvements
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Communal private gardens laid out in 1838 for the use of the inhabitants of Notting Hill Square and some surrounding streets. The square was developed from 1826 by Joshua Hanson, who had purchased the land from the Lloyd family of Notting Hill House. The garden had winding paths, clumps of trees and shrubs, with dense planting to the north, and has some original railings and gates. The square was renamed Campden Hill Square in 1893.
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Located on the former site of the early C19th West India Dock, Canary Wharf gets its name from one of the former wharves linked to the trade with the Canary Islands. Although much of the area was flattened by bombing in WWII, the docks initially prospered post-war, but from 1965 declined and by 1980 had ceased to operate; an enterprise zone was then created to develop the derelict land. What became the Canary Wharf masterplan was approved in 1985 and identified over 20 acres of landscaped open space and delineated tree-lined avenues, promenades and a series of distinct public spaces, each designed with a different function and in a different style. Canary Wharf’s public gardens and squares are essentially roof gardens, the landscaping masking the fact that beneath is a roundabout, a station, a shopping mall, extensive car parking or other services. In some cases, such as Jubilee Park and Montgomery Square, the site used to be the water of Middle Dock. The numerous publicly accessible landscape spaces include Westferry Circus Gardens, Columbus Courtyard, Cabot Square, Canada Square Park, Jubilee Park, Montgomery Square, Crossrail Place Roof Garden and in recent years new gardens created for the Wood Wharf development, such as Harbard Square Park and Harbour Quay.
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The creation of a public garden here was first proposed by Samuel Gray, who was then elected to the local council and work began in 1889. The first section was completed in 1890 and continued in stages during the 1890s and early 1900s. A bandstand was erected in 1891, donated by a former Mayor of Kingston, and Canbury Gardens became one of the most popular amenities in the town with weekly concerts and beautiful planting displays. By 1933 a pavilion, second bowling green and further tennis grounds were added, infilling the remaining areas of land bordering the Corporation Depot and sewage works, and this remains the extent of the gardens today.
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Cann Hall Park is a small local park that has been much improved largely through the efforts of Cann Hall Can, a community organisation and charity established in 20?? to breathe new life into the local area, including this previously underused space. A closed pavilion building was opened up for community use, and a cafe and skate park are now provided, funded through LB Waltham Forest's Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy. The new skatepark replaced an older one constructed of wood that was expensive to maintain and badly located. One of the founders of Cann Hall Can, Beth Hardisty, who died in 2020, is commemorated by a plaque in the Patch Cafe, and there are plans to plant a tree in her memory.
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Canning Town Recreation Ground came into being following local pressure for West Ham Borough Council to provide a recreation ground for this rapidly developing area. Originally known as Beckton Park, it was opened in June 1894 by the then Mayor of West Ham, Alderman J H Bethell. It was designed by the MPGA landscape gardener and consisted of three areas united by two east-west walks: a formal area in the north-west with a bandstand, various tree-lined walks, and shrubberies, with a lodge, refreshments pavilion, drinking fountain and toilets. In the north-east was a gymnasium and an open-air swimming pool, the latter built by private subscription; and in the south-east was an open sports area. Various facilities were added, others were replaced, such as the Lido replacing the pool, itself now gone.
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* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Cannizaro Park is on land that was once part of Wimbledon Common. In the early C18th the estate was purchased by William Browne who built two houses, Mansion or Westside House, and Warren House. Between 1817-41 Warren House was leased to Francois Platamone who became the Duke of Cannizzaro in 1830, after whom the house was renamed (albeit misspelt) in 1874. In 1920 house and grounds were purchased by E. Kenneth Wilson and his wife, who laid out a new garden, much of which remains in the public park today. In 1947/8 the Wilsons' daughter sold the house and 13.5 hectares of land to the Corporation of Wimbledon, who opened the grounds to the public. The gardens soon regained their reputation as a place of beauty, and the park today has a sunken garden, azalea dell, water garden, Italian garden, Mediterranean garden and rose Garden, as well as woodland and lakes. Cannizaro House was leased as an Old People's Home and since 1987 has been a hotel.
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Cannon Hill Common was not commonland as such but part of the former extensive holdings of Merton Priory, founded in the C12th and later part of Cannon Hill Estate. In estate sale documents in 1613 it was described as 'a wood called Cannondowne Hill containing 60 acres'. The land was farmed for many centuries until Cannon Hill House was built, probably shortly after 1773. By 1880 the house was empty and the surrounding land farmed. In 1924 developer George Blay purchased the estate as well as part of the Rayne Estate and built over much of it, but in 1925 offered the present site to Merton and Morden UDC for a public park, which opened in 1927, named Cannon Hill Common. The house was demolished and its site at the edge of the lake and woodland was first designated a bird sanctuary in 1927/9, since 1998 it has been managed as a nature reserve. The ornamental lake was created in the C18th and is a remnant of the former landscaped grounds of Cannon Hill House.
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Canonbury Square was developed in the early C19th on land owned by the Marquess of Northampton. Before the square was fully built it was divided by Canonbury Road and consequently had two garden enclosures, which were formed by c.1840. Initially private, the gardens were first opened to the public in 1884 and later conveyed by the Marquess to Islington Borough Council. The layout of the gardens changed in the 1950s, and in 2006 Loire Valley Wines Legacy Gardens enabled a major makeover, which included a small vineyard and rose bed in the west garden reflecting the planting of the vineyards in the Loire Valley.
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The Manor of Canonbury is so-called for its one-time ownership by the Priory of St Bartholomew, dating back to Henry III's reign. The manor was purchased in 1570 by Sir John Spencer and inherited by his daughter whose husband became Earl of Northampton in 1618, and whose family continues to own the property. Canonbury Tower adjoins the main Canonbury House, and was leased separately from the 1650s and both had a number of illustrious tenants. The Tower was used as the Tower Theatre from the 1960s to 2003, and is now managed by Canonbury Tower Charitable Trust. In the small garden is a mulberry tree said to be planted in the early C17th when Sir Francis Bacon was tenant.
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The Canons was one of the Manors of Mitcham and the site of a grange farm of the Augustinian Canons of St Mary Overie, Southwark, who built the stone dovecote of c.1511 that stands in the gardens. The pond was formerly a fish pond for the priory and was later divided into two 'stew' ponds for carp breeding. It was enlarged and deepened in 1664 by City merchant Robert Cranmer, whose son John built the present house, which once housed Merton Heritage Centre. The property had been purchased in July 1939 by the Corporation of Mitcham intending to use the house as a community centre and the grounds for sports. After WWII the neglected grounds were laid out with perimeter paths, some of the historic features restored and recreational facilities provided. Further improvements were made to the grounds after 1965 when the new London Borough of Merton was created. A National Lottery grant was awarded in 2021/22 to restore the house and landscape.