Hidden Oases: A Sneak Peek At Five Spitalfields Gardens

Spitalfields, I think, is one of London’s best areas for an aimless wander. It is steeped in history, each building stuffed with, often, centuries worth of stories. I spot new details on the facades of the old 18th century townhouses every time I walk the atmospheric backstreets: door knockers, drain pipes, doorcases.

A recent open garden event organised by the National Open Garden Scheme however gave me the opportunity to see some these beautiful properties from a completely different angle. 

Spitalfields: A Brief History

Spitalfields sits to the North East of the City of London, outside the traditional authority of the City government and outside the city walls. It has always therefore been on the fringes, a place of liberty and refuge for people, often religious refugees, arriving from around the globe. 

The Romans used part of the area as a cemetery and in the medieval period it became a monastic enclave. In 1197 the Priory of St Mary Spital was established. ‘Spital’ was a contraction of ‘hospital’ and, of course therefore, gives Spitalfields its name. 

In the 17th and 18th centuries it became a bustling merchant’s quarter, home to many Protestant Huguenot refugees from France, who brought with them unique skills such as clock-making, silversmithing and, most notably, silk weaving.

The textile industry in the East End collapsed in the later 18th century, a huge equality divide opened up between the rich and poor. Many Irish migrants arrived in the 1840s after the potato famine and, from the late 19th century, many Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe. The building of infrastructure did not keep up with the increasing population and poverty and overcrowding was rife.

Post War Dereliction, Rescue And Revival

In the 1970s, roughly one in five houses were occupied and developers, unsurprisingly, started to consider the area for development. Many of the beautiful streets were only saved from demolition and restored because of a group of historians, architects and heritage enthusiasts, who formed the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust. Dan Cruikshank, the historian, is probably the best known name today. As well as buying buildings to help save them, they also squatted in buildings under threat.

Today, as with lots of areas of London, land and property prices have skyrocketed in more recent years and you can find lots of big brands and modern buildings alongside the historic streets, warehouses and Georgian townhouses. Much of its charm and popularity today however comes from the heritage that has been saved, restored and preserved.

37 Spital Square

The first location I visited was 37 Spital Square. Below you can see a map of the five locations, so that you can follow along geographically.

Spital Square is located roughly where the cemetery and the nave of the priory church of St Mary Spital had once been. 

The square was laid out in the early 1700s and was one one of the most impressive areas of Spitalfields, where some of the wealthiest merchants initially lived. It was largely destroyed however, in the early 20th century, to accommodate the expansion of Spitalfields Market. The only surviving Georgian townhouse on Spital Square today is number 37.

This was built in around 1740 for Peter Ogier, a French protestant refugee, who became a master weaver. He lived here with his family and operated his business from the building. 

In the late 19th century, after Spitalfields had suffered its economic decline, 37 became home to the Greenstein family, a family of Russian Jewish descent. They worked in the leatherworking trade. 

In the 20th century, it was subdivided for commercial purposes, one of the subdivisions being an umbrella factory. It fell into disrepair in the post-war period and was under threat of demolition and development. It was however thankfully bought and saved by the Spitalfields Trust. They in turn then sold it to SPAB (the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) in 1981, to be restored and used as their headquarters. SPAB was an organisation founded in 1877, co-founded by William Morris and is the country’s oldest building conservation charity. 

The Garden

It has a small rear courtyard, in the middle of various extensions, including the old counting house and shop dating back to when it was occupied by merchants.

It is likely there was initially public access to this courtyard from the alleyway for the merchant to sell to the public. There are lots of shade loving plants in the courtyard, including herbs planted that relate to Nicholas Culpeper, the well-known 17th century botanist and apothecary who lived nearby. 

30 Calvin Street

30 Calvin Street was the most modern of the properties on display, housed in a converted Victorian warehouse.

Calvin Street was laid out originally in the late 17th century. It was originally called Great Pearl Street and was a hub of industry and an area of Huguenot settlement.

In the Victorian period, like much of the area, it became associated with poverty and hardship. It was described in Charles Booth’s poverty survey in the late 19th century as ‘The Great Pearl St District remains as black as it was ten years ago, common lodging houses for men, women and doubles which are little better than brothels. Thieves, bullies and prostitutes are their inhabitants. A thoroughly vicious quarter…’. 

It was renamed Calvin Street in 1937, perhaps to throw off some of the earlier associations. 

The small courtyard garden feel like a little oasis. It is framed with wisteria, grape vines and jasmine.

You can see more photos here.

21 Wilkes Street

21 Wilkes Street is another beautiful early Georgian townhouse, built in around 1720.

For around 150 years from the 19th century the ground floor and rear of 21 Wilkes Street was converted into a furrier’s factory (making fur garments). The old steel beams and high brick walls used to support the ceiling of the factory and now act as supports for vines and climbing roses.  

The garden was the most surprising because coming out of the back door you then walk over a bridge spanning a little moat into the garden. High walls surround you as well as the remains of a metal framework. 

Again, if you would like to see more photos, you can do so here.

The Rectory, 2 Fournier Street

The largest garden was at The Rectory on Fournier Street. The Rectory was built from 1726-29 and designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, who also designed the next door Christchurch Spitalfields church.

Nicholas Hawksmoor was the brilliant protege of Sir Christopher Wren and created some of London’s most dramatically designed churches and spires.

Christchurch Spitalfields is one of what are referred to as the ‘Commissioners Churches’. In the early 18th century fifty new churches were commissioned for the growing population of London, the ‘godless thousands’. Only twelve ended up being constructed, six of them designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. Others are St Mary Woolnoth, St Anne’s Limehouse and St Alfege in Greenwich.

Heading through to the garden I saw the hallway and staircase of the house.

Each balustrade apparently gets shorter as it goes up to exaggerate the perspective and make the space seem taller and grander than it is. 

It was great to be able to see the house and its neighbours from the back, being now pretty familiar with their fronts, giving a whole new perspective to the area.

The garden was, again, lovely with a lawn, flower beds and a couple of more secluded corners towards the back.

29 Fournier Street

I finished by wandering down to 29 Fournier Street for the final garden. 

Originally called Church Street, Fournier Street was laid out in the 1720s. It was renamed in 1893 after George Fournier, a local benefactor of Huguenot origin.

The garden of 29 is a wonderful little oasis of climbing wisteria, fig and jasmine, as well as various potted plants and planted borders.

Thank you for reading, more of London’s incredible history below!