Hammersmith Park

Hammersmith Park

Hammersmith Park

Location in Hammersmith and Fulham, London

Location Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England
OS grid TQ 23068049
Coordinates 51°30′36″N 0°13′41″W / 51.51°N 0.228°W / 51.51; -0.228Coordinates: 51°30′36″N 0°13′41″W / 51.51°N 0.228°W / 51.51; -0.228

Hammersmith Park is a public park in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It includes a Japanese Garden, a gated children's play area, a bowling green, and tennis courts. Despite its name, it is located in Shepherd's Bush, not Hammersmith. In 2013 planning permission was granted by the Borough to redevelop the sports facilities in a controversial scheme to be run by the privately owned operation Play Football.

History

Origins

Postcard from the Japan-British Exhibition of 1910

Hammersmith Park is sited on the remains of an original Japanese garden designed for the Japan–British Exhibition in 1910. The area, known as the Great White City, was initially developed for 1908 Summer Olympics and was subsequently used for a series of international exhibitions until World War I.[1]

Little sign of the 1910 Japan–British Exhibition remains today, but the Chokushimon (Gateway of the Imperial Messenger, a four-fifths replica of the Karamon of Nishi Hongan-ji in Kyoto) was moved to Kew Gardens in 1911, where it still can be seen.

1950s

In November 1954 tennis courts and a playground were added. The remainder of the park opened in September 1955. [1]

Modern era

The Garden of Peace remains intact within Hammersmith Park; it was restored in 2008. The garden is set among bamboo and pagoda trees, and consists of two large ponds which are linked by a stone bridge. Rocks surround the garden, forming a small waterfall. A number of the original plants and trees brought from Japan in 1909 still survive. [1]

Future

In 2013 the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham announced plans, initially proposed in 2011,[2] to demolish the existing sports facilities and replace them with football pitches, run by the privately owned company Play Football. [3][4] [5] Opposition by local residents led local author and journalist Virginia Ironside to lead a campaign against the proposals, which were granted planning permission at the end of 2013, seeking judicial review of the decision on the basis of inadequate public consulation. [6]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 www.londongardensonline.org.uk Retrieved January 2014
  2. ↑ www.lbhf.gov.uk 8 July 2011 Retrieved January 2014
  3. ↑ Private Eye, Nooks and Corners, Issue no. 1356
  4. ↑ www.lbhf.gov.uk August 2013 Retrieved January 2014
  5. ↑ www.lbhf.gov.uk Retrieved January 2014
  6. ↑ Hammersmith and Fulhan Chronicle, 31 January 2014

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.