The gorgeous new St. Pancras Church Garden is surrounded on three sides by tall buildings, making it feel a bit like a secret garden. It’s paved with large stones in an interesting herringbone pattern, and it is filled with diamond-shaped planters and mature trees. “We imagined that the lost church, left alone for so long, had been allowed to grow new shoots and re-emerge as an untrimmed and happily rambling pewlike species,” explains architect Miria Smith in a statement.
The furniture in the new park was handcrafted from oak by the Historic Carving department at the City & Guilds Art School in south London. Some of the hand-carved pews look like ruins, and they depict Medieval scenes, while also adding function to the new public space.
After being hidden from view for centuries, the site of the former church is now open to the public. “This, the irrepressible history of the Monument, appears to burst through the earth in the witty display of hand-carved pews that provide the focal point and function of the new public space,” explains Victor Callister, assistant director of Environmental Enhancements for the City of London Corporation. “We thought that the design on paper was a bit bonkers, and I am pleased to say we were quite correct.”
+ Studio Weave
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