Anyone that lives in London or has visited the city has almost certainly had a walk along the South Bank.
If you have, you will have walked past a small park, most likely without paying it much notice. Next time you are in the area though, spend a bit of time there, because it has a very inspiring story to tell.
The Background
Prior to the Second World War the South bank of the Thames was almost entirely a stretch of wharfs, warehouses and factories.
The area suffered a lot of bomb damage during the Blitz and after the war a large section, between Westminster Bridge and Waterloo Bridge, was cleared for the Festival of Britain in 1951.
The section from Waterloo onwards remained largely industrial.
By the 1970s, after industry and sea-borne trade had largely left central London, most factories and warehouses lay derelict. It was therefore ripe for redevelopment.
The area had started to attract commercial developments that were not bringing any value to the local Southwark community. The residential population of the area had dwindled from 50,000 to 4,500 by the early 1970s. The schools and local businesses were shutting.
The site the gardens area today were occupied by a derelict warehouse and the Eldorado ice cream factory.
A proposal had been put forward in the 1970s for a development to occupy the entire stretch of riverside from Waterloo Bridge to Blackfriars. It would have consisted of 1 million square feet of office space and Europe’s tallest hotel.
It was referred to by locals as the ‘Berlin Wall’, because it would totally cut off the community and indeed anyone but the companies from the river.
The Coin Street Action Group
The local residents subsequently formed the Coin Street Action Group to fight the proposal and put forward an alternative plan that prioritised people and community. Part of the plan included a riverside walkway, community facilities, affordable housing and a park.
The GLC (Greater London Council), originally supported the office scheme but in 1981, thankfully, got behind the community. After seven long years, in 1984, the CSAG bought the 13 acre site from the GLC for £1 million.
Transformation of the Space
After this win they proceeded to also set up the Coin Street Community Builders to carry out the plan.
Between 1984-1988 the derelict buildings were cleared, the riverside walkway was completed and the new park was laid out.
The park, when it was finished was named Bernie Spain Gardens after one of the key campaigners.
Bernie Spain
Bernadette (Bernie) Spain grew up in Manchester in the Second World War and moved to London in around 1960 to study as a clinical Psychologist. After graduating, she became particularly involved in improving the quality of life for children born with disabilities, such as spina bifida.
She was a life-long campaigner for equality and in the 1970s became involved in the Community Health Councils in South London, for example pushing for a new community hospital in Lambeth.
When the ‘Berlin Wall’ proposal was put forward for the South Bank, she became a founding member of the CSAG and helped run jumble sales, produced leaflets, posters, organised public forums and met with planners.
She very sadly died in April 1984, whilst on holiday in the Cairngorms, at the age of fifty. This was just before the group successfully bought the site from the GLC, so she never lived to see the community vision realised.
The Garden
Bernie Spain Gardens is split into two, bisected by the street Upper Ground.
There are some lovely planted areas, lawns and seating.
Right by the gardens you will see the Palm Co-op housing development, built by the Coin Street team in 1994.
It consists of 27 homes, run on a co-operative basis, without the ‘right to buy’. The group has successfully built over 220 homes, on social rents, housing around 1000 people.
On the other side is Gabriel’s Wharf. This was used as a construction compound for the community builders, until 1988, when it was opened as a place for little boutique shops, restaurants, food outlets and more.
There is an odd stone sculpture in the garden by the riverside.
It looks like a ‘tick’ and is apparently to stand on, lean back, giving the viewer good views over the river to St Paul’s.
The Oxo Tower
The adjoining Oxo Tower Wharf development is also part of the original 13 acre site.
In 1900 a power station was built, on the site of a wharf, to supply electricity to the post office.
In the late 1920s it was purchased by the Liebig Meat Extract Company. They made OXO stock cubes and the architect Albert Moore famously incorporated the name with windows into the tower.
This was to get around the restriction on skyline advertising.
By the early 1970s, the building was derelict and from the 1990s, a restoration project was carried out. It opened in 1996 and contains retail design studios, specialist shops, cafes, exhibition spaces and a housing cooperative.
So, next time you are walking past, you can look at Bernie Spain Gardens with a new found appreciation.
It is a lovely green oasis in the area and a great place to consider, just how different this area could have been had it not been for those tireless local residents.
Thank you for reading, some more amazing London gardens below!
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Hi Jack, I always find your emails very interesting but this story about Bernadette Spain I found particularly moving. Clearly a woman of remarkable qualities but I’m sure I’ve never heard of her before. So much of what she (and others) achieved was and remains (because of their vision) so right. Thank you for sharing this.
Love love love the story of the Bernie Spain garden. Beautifully told, thank you, Jack.
So interesting, Jack. Thank you for telling us about this little triumph for community over commerce!
Thank you, Jack, for your weekly posts; my wife and I really look forward to them even though we live in Kidderminster, a few miles away from London!
Well!! For once I knew about your chosen topic, only because, many years ago, I had a bandmate who was, and possibly still is, Bernie Spain’s nephew. We went to see Jeff Beck at the festival Hall and he took the opportunity to show me this gem. Testament to perseverance and vision and it underlines the power and importance of what might at first be perceived as a “small” thing. Ultimately it has a big and lasting effect.
Great Post. Love the OXO window story
Great post. I love that whole area, including the really attractive social housing, but I had imagined Bernie Spain was probably a (male) local councillor! Thanks for putting me right.
I walked through this area many times during the late 1990s and 2000s. At the time, I had no idea of its history, so it lovely to find out the history of this area, Jack. I’ve eaten at the OXO Tower a number of times. There are great views from the restaurant.
Such a shame that Bernadette Spain missed all of this after all her hard work of campaigning. What an incredible woman she was.
Hi Jack another informative piece. Thank you for the information about Bernie Spain.
A beautiful story beautifully told. Thank you, Jack.
This is so interesting! Thank you for writing this article. We bought a flat nearby in 1992 and I now realise that, had we thought of buying it ten years earlier, we probably would not have been so attracted to the area! I love living here!