A 50 metre Community Herb Garden took its form from the 1860's footprint of the former St Andrews hospital on the site. When the building disappears, the plan of the foundation remains (just as when it was built, the plan appeared first).
Bromley-by-Bow is an ancient parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets. Its name derives from the meadows that were full of brambles, Brembel lega, then Brembelega - Bramble meadowland. The area was once a rural village with a pond and village green. Brambles (blackberries) are also ancient medicinal herbs with a range of valuable uses.
The choice of the footprint was the starting point for the development of sculptural pieces for public spaces across the St Andrews site.
Embedded in the garden’s narrative is the hospital as an institution for health care, encompassing themes of illness, health and healing, growth, life and death. The garden will be subject to the changing seasons and life cycles inherent in this.
Another sketchbook page in the development phase of the project.
The Community Herb Garden sits at the heart of the St Andrews housing development. It was constructed from stock bricks reclaimed from the building as it was demolished (2007-13) Photo: 04.08.22
Most of the herbs have survived the summer drought, August 2022.