Description
Cleary Garden is a terraced garden originally created following bomb damage in WWII. A plaque records Joseph Brandis, member of the Cordwainers Company, who created the garden on the bomb-site. The area originally housed Roman baths and in the Middle Ages vintners used the site for trading and growing vines. The garden was later named after Frederick Cleary, Chairman of the MPGA, when it was re-landscaped in 1985-88 with pergolas on a number of levels, paved areas and seating, sloping lawn and a wide variety of planting. In 2007 the garden underwent major re-refurbishment as the Loire Valley Wines Legacy Garden with vines and aromatic plants evoking the wines of the Loire region.
Practical Information
| Site location | Queen Victoria Street/Huggin Hill |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC4V 4HQ |
| What3Words | ///spaces.insert.impose |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | locked at dusk |
| Events | Has opened for OGSW |
| Public Transport | Tube: Mansion House (District, Circle). Bus: 4, 11, 15, 17, 23, 26, 76, 100, 172, 388 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Cleary Garden is a modern terraced garden sloping down alongside Huggin Hill to the east, a series of steps leading to the different levels, each of which represents an era of London's history. The lowest level represents Roman, then medieval, the Fire, Victorian and Modern at street level. Huggin Hill was so-called from at least around 1260, when it was called 'Hoggenelane', being a place where hogs were kept; it has also been referred to as Sporones Lane. Near the gardens, at the bottom of Huggin Hill, is part of the retaining wall of Roman Baths, discovered in 1964, probably built on terraces dug into the hillside overlooking the river, fed by clear spring water. They were probably built c.80AD, later extended but demolished by the end of the C3rd. In the Middle Ages vintners used the site for trading and growing vines.
The site was laid out as a public open space after WWII bomb damage in the blitz of 1940 destroyed much of the area including the house on the site, exposing the cellars. A plaque in the garden records Joseph Brandis, member of the Cordwainers Company, who created the original garden on the bomb-site, collecting mud from river banks and bringing soil from his Walthamstow garden. His new garden was visited by Queen Elizabeth II on 29 July 1949. It was re-landscaped in 1985-88, when the layout included pergolas on a number of levels, paved areas and seating, and a sloping lawn; planting included a variety of trees, palms and shrubs. It was funded by the Metropolitan Public Garden Association for its centenary, and plaques commemorating the MPGA 1882-1982 were located in the gardens, which were named after Frederick Cleary (1905-1984). Cleary was Chairman of the MPGA and a member of the Court of Common Council from 1959-1984. A keen advocate for open spaces in the City, he planted a golden acacia in the gardens on 28 July 1982. In 2006 a bed of Yatsuka Tree Peonies was planted next to the top pergola, presented to the City by the Japanese Island of Daikonjima as a symbol of goodwill.
In 2007 the garden was substantially refurbished under the Loire Valley Wines Legacy Garden scheme, which included planting of vines, aromatic shrubs, flowering plants and climbers. The gardens have received various awards, including Floral Award from the Company of Gardeners in 1998; Small Public Garden Square first prize in London Garden Squares Competition, 2007.
In 2010 the City of London and British Land collaborated in 'Beyond the Hive', an architectural competition to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity. The design brief called for proposals for 'Insect Hotels': ecologically sustainable and creative insect habitats, and resulted in five finalists. The winning entries were built during June 2010 in 5 public gardens in the City: Bunhill Fields, Postman's Park, West Smithfield Garden, St Dunstan-in-the-East (q.q.v.) and Cleary Garden. Here the 'Beevarian Antsel & Gretal Chalet' designed by the 'German Women in Property' was the winner of the public vote.
The site was laid out as a public open space after WWII bomb damage in the blitz of 1940 destroyed much of the area including the house on the site, exposing the cellars. A plaque in the garden records Joseph Brandis, member of the Cordwainers Company, who created the original garden on the bomb-site, collecting mud from river banks and bringing soil from his Walthamstow garden. His new garden was visited by Queen Elizabeth II on 29 July 1949. It was re-landscaped in 1985-88, when the layout included pergolas on a number of levels, paved areas and seating, and a sloping lawn; planting included a variety of trees, palms and shrubs. It was funded by the Metropolitan Public Garden Association for its centenary, and plaques commemorating the MPGA 1882-1982 were located in the gardens, which were named after Frederick Cleary (1905-1984). Cleary was Chairman of the MPGA and a member of the Court of Common Council from 1959-1984. A keen advocate for open spaces in the City, he planted a golden acacia in the gardens on 28 July 1982. In 2006 a bed of Yatsuka Tree Peonies was planted next to the top pergola, presented to the City by the Japanese Island of Daikonjima as a symbol of goodwill.
In 2007 the garden was substantially refurbished under the Loire Valley Wines Legacy Garden scheme, which included planting of vines, aromatic shrubs, flowering plants and climbers. The gardens have received various awards, including Floral Award from the Company of Gardeners in 1998; Small Public Garden Square first prize in London Garden Squares Competition, 2007.
In 2010 the City of London and British Land collaborated in 'Beyond the Hive', an architectural competition to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity. The design brief called for proposals for 'Insect Hotels': ecologically sustainable and creative insect habitats, and resulted in five finalists. The winning entries were built during June 2010 in 5 public gardens in the City: Bunhill Fields, Postman's Park, West Smithfield Garden, St Dunstan-in-the-East (q.q.v.) and Cleary Garden. Here the 'Beevarian Antsel & Gretal Chalet' designed by the 'German Women in Property' was the winner of the public vote.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ322809 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.1119 |
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Open Spaces Dept. |
| Dates | 1940s; 1982; 2007 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | City of London |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Queen Street |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - St Paul's Heights Policy Area |
| Other LA Designation | Strategic Viewing Corridor |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
It is not known why the church was called St Nicholas Cole Abbey. The pre-Fire church was ancient, the main body predating its C14th tower and south aisle. By the C16th the church was below the surrounding ground level, which had been raised in the interim. Destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, a new and larger church by Wren was built in 1677. The church was bombed in WWII and rebuilt in 1961/2 but later closed to worship. Gate piers and railings remain either side of the flight of steps leading up to the church door from Queen Victoria Street, with gravelled areas either side.
St Mary Somerset dates from at least the C12th, and appears to have been called St Mary's Summer's Hith, perhaps due to its proximity to a wharf or 'hith' owned by a family of that name or after Ralph de Sumery. Destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 the church was rebuilt by Wren in 1685-94. Churchwardens' Accounts for 1680 record that 6 elm trees were planted in the burial ground. The church was demolished in 1869 and the site was acquired by the Corporation of London in 1872. The tower at the south-west corner was saved by an Act of Parliament and is all that remains of the church, standing within a small garden formed on the former burial ground. On the level area facing the tower the garden is largely planted with yew and privet hedging, creating seating areas protected from the busy road alongside. Behind the tower the garden slopes steeply upwards.
St James Garlickhythe is probably so-called due to its proximity to a hithe or wharf where garlic was landed and sold. The earliest date of a church here is 1170; it was rebuilt in 1326 probably through the will of Sheriff Richard Rothing. Among others buried here were Richard Lions, a wine merchant beheaded by Wat Tyler's rebels, and a number of Lord Mayors of London of the C14th, C15th and C16th. In 1808 the churchyard was enclosed by iron railings and in 1814/5 a small engine house for the parish fire engine was erected at the north east corner, surviving until WWII. New railings and gates ornamented with grape vines were donated by the Vintners' Company in c.1965 enclosing the small area of churchyard that remains in front of the church. A bronze statue of 'The Barge Master and Swan Marker of the Vintners Company' is installed in the landscaped area to the west of the church.
