The place

The Garden Museum is situated at a major road junction at the south end of Lambeth Bridge. Next to the museum is St. Mary’s Gardens, a green space that is ornamentally planted and maintained by volunteers. When Christopher Woodward, director of the museum, learned that Transport for London were working on a new traffic system here he approached them with the idea of collaborating on a new public green space and planted public realm.

The brief

We were originally commissioned to work with Publica, a London-based urban design and public realm practice, on an outline scheme for the area. The aim was to create a new village green for this part of Lambeth, including proposed softening of the public realm with planting, green links into the surrounding streets through tree planting and community engagement with residents through improvements to nearby Old Paradise Gardens on Lambeth High Street. Following the establishment of the masterplan an architectural competition was run for a pavilion building that enclosed the new Lambeth Green on the site of St. Mary’s Gardens. The competition was won in 2021 by Mary Duggan Architects.

The design

Taking the local vernacular of high walls from those surrounding both the Garden Museum and Lambeth Palace the protective walled pavilion building will enclose the north end of St. Mary’s Gardens and provide facilities for garden volunteers working at the Garden Museum and Old Paradise Gardens, education, community outreach, refreshments and a dedicated flower shop. Redirected public access through St. Mary’s Gardens will reinstate the historic route of Lambeth Road. A tree planting strategy aims to spread the green influence of the Garden Museum out into the surrounding streets, most notably Lambeth High Street, where plans for the development of Old Paradise Gardens will be discussed in public consultation, but might include a community orchard, micro-allotments, teaching facilities and refreshed ornamental planting. The planting proposals also extend to the planting beds immediately outside the museum curtilage. Works are due to start on site later in 2026.