I love living in Southwark. It breathes so much history, and I'm constantly fascinated. Today I took an autumn walk that turned out to be both educational and inspirational.
Crossbones
For those who live or work in the area, it's impossible not to notice the many hundreds of ribbons tied in memory to the railings at the Crossbones site.
I had never actually managed to get there during its opening times on specific weekdays. Today, however, by pure chance I found it unexpectedly open and was finally able to go in and have a look around. Inside, I found it to have a really special atmosphere. It's spacious, with lots of trees, bushes and flowers, sculptures, a hand-built arched wooden entrance walkway, and even a tiny pond. I spent some time chatting with two of the volunteers who are wardens for the site.
I had already read a fair bit about the tragic, poignant history of Crossbones as a mass graveyard for thousands of paupers (more than half of whom were children) in what was one the poorest slums in London. By the time the site was finally closed in 1853, it had gone way beyond its capacity in terms of numbers of people buried there. It lay largely forgotten until the 1990s, when a number of skeletons were uncovered during works on a substation for the Jubilee Line extension.
You can read the fascinating story of what happened next through the efforts of writer John Constable and Friends of Crossbones on the Crossbones website. There's also an online petition here. Environmental and volunteering charity, Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST), has also been supporting the work to protect the site.
Redcross Garden and BOST
Speaking of BOST, during my walk I made sure to take in the wonderful Redcross Garden. This is where their office is located (a fascinating eco-build in itself). I've had a lot of contact with this amazing organisation since 2013, when they funded and supported a food growing project in my local community. They have now extended their remit and look after a number of wonderful sites in Southwark and Lambeth, including Living Space at Waterloo Green and Tate Community Garden.
BOST also have other projects, such as the Green Hub and Future Gardeners, and they host a number of festivals and events. Further information can be found on their website.
All-Hallows-The-Great Church and Community Garden
I love this tranquil space, tucked away to the south of Southwark Street. I came here during the first lockdown a lot on my daily walk. It was also my place of choice during my day of silent practice for the mindfulness course I was doing at the time. The garden was awash with flowering plants and shrubs, and tall trees in magnificent leaf. The gallery below shows the beauty of the site at that time.
Around that time I also had a few encounters with a very cheeky little robin. It has the habit of circling the garden at high speed and on the first circuit it flew right past me, at the level of my head. At the second pass it landed briefly, right next to me, on the arm of the bench I was sitting on. I was quite taken aback: I love watching robins and hearing them sing, but normally it's hard to get anywhere near them because they move so fast. I've since read that they're quite territorial, so maybe this one was making sure I knew my place!
On my visit this time, the garden was looking very autumnal and clearly winding down for its winter sleep. I saw the biggest leaf I've ever seen in my life, lying on a raised planter.
I love Southwark so much that this blog has given me an appetite to make it into a regular series.
Links
Crossbones website
Crossbones Facebook page
Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) website
All Hallows Church and Community Garden website
Blog copyright Barbara Grehs
Published on 27 November 2020
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