Ashcroft Estate residents will have green retreat
A new community roof garden on top of the Lyric Theatre opened on Thursday 11th June.
Designed by award winning landscape architects, Adam White and Andrée Davies, the garden will be a much needed green retreat in a heavily built up area.
The Lyric Theatre, and environmental charity Groundwork London are behind the remarkable garden, developed from a sketch on a paper napkin into a living, breathing oasis of subtle lighting, sustainable timber decking, low planters, seating, shrubs and trees.
The garden also boasts a bespoke six-metre high pergola
canopy visible from Hammersmith tube station.
The planting has been completed with the support of the Groundwork ‘Green Team'; a project that helps the long-term unemployed to learn horticultural skills. Residents from the nearby Ashcroft Estate will also become ‘Garden Guardians' providing hands on support to help keep it in tip-top condition.
The roof garden has been paid for jointly by the theatre, local businesses through HammersmithLondon and Marks & Spencer. The project is one of 46 green community facilities supported by M&S through the Greener Living Spaces programme, with profits* raised from the 5p charge for plastic carrier bags.
Adam White, Principal Landscape Architect for Groundwork London and co-designer for the garden, said:
"This project is at the heart of what Groundwork does, which is to green up inner city spaces and make places vibrant and safer places for communities to live in. Green space is invaluable for heavily built up areas, and we're at the forefront of maximising landscape potential, wherever it may be found.
"Delivery has not been without challenges; through wind, rain, snow and thankfully some sunshine, we have worked closely with contractors from Visible Changes Ltd to find a way to lift all of the materials onto the terrace from 25 feet below in the Lyric Square - sometimes even using a crane!
"Hammersmith High Street can be an extremely frenetic place to be. But now, the roof garden offers a gentle idyll - such a contrast to everything nearby."
Jessica Hepburn, Lyric Hammersmith, Executive Director, added:
"The roof garden will provide a green space for everyone in Hammersmith to enjoy, both day and night. The garden is part of our commitment to making Hammersmith a fantastic place to live, work and relax as well as providing a great night out for theatre goer.
June 17, 2009