Description
Culpeper Community Garden is named after the C17th herbalist Nicholas Culpeper. It has been in existence since the 1980s and is situated adjacent to Culpeper Park, a small public park. The idea for the community garden arose in 1982 when Anthea Douglas, who was then teaching disadvantaged children, realised they needed a proper garden facility. She secured a grant from Islington Council before seeking out a suitable patch of derelict ground. The site she discovered was being considered for future development but as this was not scheduled to begin for some 10 years, it was agreed she could use it in the interim and it has been going ever since. Run on organic lines, the garden comprises a lawn, ponds, rose pergolas, ornamental beds, vegetable plots, seating and a wildlife area, with a greenhouse, small resource centre and tea hut for members. There are over 50 plots including raised beds for disabled gardeners, which provide small gardens for community groups, children, and for people living nearby without gardens. Tending the garden is a communal effort by garden members and volunteers.
Practical Information
| Site location | Dignum Street, off Cloudesley Road or entrance through Culpeper Park |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N1 0EJ |
| What3Words | ///ladder.monks.trucks |
| Type of Site | Community Garden |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Mon-Sun 10am-6pm (or dusk) |
| Special Conditions | No dogs, no bicycles |
| Facilities | Community building. The garden is fully wheelchair accessible. |
| Events | Outings and events for members of the garden |
| Public Transport | Tube: Angel. Bus: 4, 19, 38, 43, 56, 73, 205, 214, 274, 394, 476 |
| Research Updated | 24 November 2022 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Culpeper Community Garden has received numerous awards over the years, including an ‘Outstanding’ rating in the 2018 RHS ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ scheme. It has also received the RHS National Certificate of Distinction, has won Islington in Bloom's Best Community Garden category and received the additional Pattenden award for the best wildlife entry. The garden has a communal lawn, ponds, rose pergola, wildlife area and a dry garden, inspired by Beth Chatto as part of Islington’s climate-change adaptation strategy. Culpeper Community Garden works with disadvantaged community groups, provides a teaching resource to local primary schools and stages events and activities for members and locals.
Since 2014, Culpeper Community Garden has been protected under the Fields in Trust (FIT) Queen Elizabeth II Fields scheme. Building on the tradition of the King George V Fields, FIT marked the Diamond Jubilee of the late Queen by protecting a legacy of parks and green spaces throughout the UK in perpetuity. In all 1,392 spaces were protected including children’s playgrounds, bicycle trails, woodlands, nature reserves and coastal paths. Coinciding with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and extending into the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games this project, supported by Asda and the Asda Foundation, secured investment of £4 million into these spaces.
The community garden is run by and for local people, and is set up as a charity; anyone can become a member of the garden (£20 a year in 2022) which brings benefits such as outings, workshops, events, and reduced fees to hire the space.
Since 2014, Culpeper Community Garden has been protected under the Fields in Trust (FIT) Queen Elizabeth II Fields scheme. Building on the tradition of the King George V Fields, FIT marked the Diamond Jubilee of the late Queen by protecting a legacy of parks and green spaces throughout the UK in perpetuity. In all 1,392 spaces were protected including children’s playgrounds, bicycle trails, woodlands, nature reserves and coastal paths. Coinciding with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and extending into the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games this project, supported by Asda and the Asda Foundation, secured investment of £4 million into these spaces.
The community garden is run by and for local people, and is set up as a charity; anyone can become a member of the garden (£20 a year in 2022) which brings benefits such as outings, workshops, events, and reduced fees to hire the space.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ311834 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.4 |
| Site Ownership | LB Islington |
| Site Management | Culpeper Community Garden (charitable trust) |
| Dates | 1982 |
| 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 | Islington |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough 2 |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Other LA Designation | Open Space, Development Management Policy DM6.3 |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Initially dedicated as Christ Church, the church was designed by S S Teulon in 1860 but completed by E P Loftus Brock in 1863, problems having arisen with the building. It was dedicated to St Silas in July 1867. The chancel was added in 1884. It has a small railed garden fronting Penton Street with a War Memorial with a path around it, with roses, grass and three trees including a yew and London plane.
Barnard Park is a large postwar park laid out in 1975 when bomb-damaged land was cleared. In the C18th it was the location of White Conduit House and White Conduit Field, an important early cricket ground. As the area developed, houses for middle class and artisan families were built here, but in the second half of the C19th it rapidly became overcrowded and after suffering bomb damage during WWII the site of what became the park was left abandoned. The park is named for an Islington Councillor, George Barnard, who was dedicated to sport. Its facilities today include an adventure playground, children’s playground, new sports pitch for football and rugby and a café. Numerous footpaths connect the different areas of the park, which include a discrete adjacent area to the west across Hemingford Road, Barnard Park Extension, nicknamed Dog Park for its popularity with dog walkers, and which has a perennial meadow.
The square is named for Sir Richard Cloudesley, who had an estate here from the early C16th. In 1811 the Estate Trustees were permitted to let building leases and the Cloudesley Estate, also called Stonefield, was planned from 1812. Cloudesley Square, begun in c.1825, was the centre of the estate, with Holy Trinity Church built in 1826-29 to serve the growing population. Around the church is a hexagonal railed garden, essentially a strip of grass with a path and a number of mature trees.