Gibbon's Rent

Gibbon’s Rent is stretch of walk that runs between Magdalen Street and Bermondsey Street that contains all sorts of pots of plant. It is a project in collaboration between the Architecture Foundation, Team London Bridge and Southwark Council.

Originally, the site of Gibbon's Rent was a street of domestic properties owned by Mr Gibbon. It is most recently recorded down by the council as being "Gibbon's Rent" which was end-product name to transform this rundown street to a cared-for green oasis.

The creation of Gibbon’s Rent is formed by designer Andrew Burns and architect Sarah Eberle and launched as part of the London Festival of Architecture and Cityscapes in 2012.

The space is stunningly beautiful and can be very quiet or very busy as not a lot of people of know about it or a lot of people know about it. It is a space used by office workers during the day, especially if it is a sunny one. I came across it during the weekend and not one soul can be seen creating a scenic and tranquil route.

It is maintained by Team London Bridge and St Mungo’s with the local community as part of the Putting Down Roots initiative. Different areas of the garden works well with some plants more than others with some designated areas designed to get the maximum amount of daylight or a lot more limited amount.

There is also a chance to sponsor a potted plant on Architecture Foundation's website or donations of potted plants are welcome at Gibbon’s Rent.

King's Cross Bee Trail

The King’s Cross Bee Trail created in conjunction with the Honey Club was hosted around the surrounding areas in King’s Cross from 5 August to 21 September 2015. The trail aims to educate on how we can help bees raise in numbers, get us closer to them and do some bee spotting.

 

1. Granary Square

The trail starts off in Granary Square where we learn about the problem behind the number of bees falling. The main issue with urban environments such as London do not allow bees to thrive as they may not find enough places to collect pollen from plants as well as little places for them to live. 97% of wildlife meadows have disappeared resulting from modern farming and urbanisation in the UK since 1945. Without any places to forage, there is no food supply for bees, which spells trouble for us as they help pollinate two thirds of our food as well as bringing the whole ecosystem to slowly disintegrate.

 

Hyssops, a culinary herb, can be found running along the restaurants’ sides in Granary Square from July to September.

 

2. Camley Street Natural Park

This segment allows participants to look for bees within an area of forage at Camley Street wild patch picking a spot about 2 metres squared with 30 seconds to complete the activity. The different bees to spot are the honey bee, the buff-tailed bumblebee, the common carder bee and the leafcutter bee. The bees counted would be collected into a database. This activity unlocks vouchers to restaurants Dishoom and the Grain Store.

 

3. Handyside Gardens (south)

This part of the trail follows on from the previous with another 30 seconds challenge of counting the bees spotted in plots of plants lined up along this side of the Garden. This activity unlocks voucher to the Greek Larder and Rotunda.

4. Handyside Gardens (north)

Bees only eat nectar and pollen from plants, which they feed on from early spring to late autumn. The Honeybees like simple daisy-like flowers. Some bees may have long tongues which are used to drink nectar from tubular flowers.

 

Bees won’t like certain things such as double-headed flowers which they find difficulty in getting the pollen and nectar. Pelargoniums which are often mis-sold as geraniums are sterile and should be replaced by true geranium for pollen and nectar. Weed killers and pesticide should not be used as they are linked to bee deaths worldwide.

 

Ways to help bees out are first-off to plant bee-friendly plants in gardens, window boxes, pots and hanging baskets. Allow the growth of flowers, vegetable bolt and dandelions in the lawn as well as wild patches and a tree for bees to forage. Not only can we do our bit but we can also put the word forward to councils and landscape managers to plant bee-friendly plants and trees.

 

5. King’s Cross Pond

This part of the trail explores beekeeping and the importance of it. A beekeeper can manage up to a colony of 50,000 honeybees. They create honey for food during the winter season which are harvested for us to eat. You can enrol on a course with a local beekeeping association or mentor which can be found on the British Beekeeping Association and Urban Bees.

 

Bees pollinate a high number of foods that we eat which include fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, as well as coffee and chocolate. Birds rely on them as they feast on berries and nuts, showing the importance of bees to the ecosystem.

 

The changing landscape is leading to a decline of places for bees to feed and live, but King’s Cross which is going through many developments at the moment, are keeping sustainability key in their development. They have created green roofs and tree planting schemes, which will benefit both bees and people. Even the trains are doing their bit by carrying a varied amount of different pollens into the city which contribute to the diverse state of habitats for bees.

 

6. Viewing Platform

Another 30 seconds bee count challenge at the wild patches found skirting along the bottom of the viewing platform near King’s Cross Pond. This unlocks a voucher for Skip Garden.

 

7. Skip Garden

The last part of the trail ends at Skip Garden. Bees are under threat as there are less places that are undisturbed and solitary wastelands for wild bumblebees to nest. There are many places where bees can live such as man-made hives, holes in the ground, old animal nests, pile of leaves and bird boxes. Ways to create homes for bees can be found at beeconservation.org and urbanbees.co.uk.

 

The app is available for download on Apple and Android devices and uses Bluetooth technology to connect to the hotspots to unlock the content at each stop. Alternatively, codes can be found at each stop which can be inputted into the app. I hope they bring this back as a permanent fixture as the trail is of course very enlightening about how our interactions can help bees grow and thrive.

#KXBeeTrail

DNA Trail

Cancer Research have come up with 21 giant DNA sculptures inspired by the DNA double helix form, which are designed by artists, designers and sculptors around the world. They form a trail around London to raise aware and funds to put forwards in constructing the Francis Crick Institute in King’s Cross to carry out research and make breakthroughs. The trail is being held from 29 June to 6 September 2015 (10 weeks) with the Auction taking place in September.

I found that it was much more preferable to go during the weekday when the offices and galleries are open, which I found the hard way when I approached some complexes to only find out that it was closed. If you want to get up close and see the sculptures directly in front of you, then the best shot would be the weekdays. Even more to the fact I mainly chose the wrong times to go searching for these sculptures (peak lunchtime!) and having to tell a lot of people to hop off so I can point my camera and snap. It’s also a far-reaching opportunity to visit sites such as the Royal Opera House, head down to South Kensington for a trio of museums or even do some shopping in the West End. Along the trail, there are facts about the DNA found on each sculpture plaque.

Changes were made to Ted's Helix of Haberdashery by Ted Baker, which had a cat and mouse pieces affixed on it, but were sadly removed until they are replaced on auction due to the mouse sustaining damage (I suspect foul play).

1. The Journey by Guy Portelli - Royal Albert Hall, South Steps, SW7 2AP

2. Untitled 1 by Ai Weiwei - Christie’s window, 85 Old Brompton Rd, SW7 3LD

3. Colours Through Speed by Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar - South Kensington Station, Pelham Street, SW7 2NB

4. Growing Stem by Orla Kiely - Dovehouse Green, King's Road, SW3 5UF

5. Double Helix Noir by Thierry Noir - Duke of York Square, King's Road, SW3 4LY

6. Double Dutch Delft Blue DNA by Chris & Xand van Tulleken - Victoria Station, near WH Smith, SW1E 5ND

7. Soul by Aston Martin - Cardinal Place window, 80 Victoria Street, SW1E 5JL

8. Mayoral Helix by Mayor of Westminster - Great George Street, outside No. 10, SW1P 3AE

9. Ted's Helix of Haberdashery by Ted Baker - Broadwick Street near Carnaby Street, W1F 9PE

10. Silver by Michael Howells - Top of South Molton Street, Bond Street, W1K 5RG

11. Untitled 2 by Ai Weiwei - Darren Baker Gallery window, 81 Charlotte Street, W1T 4PP

12. Life by Darren Baker - Trafalgar Square, WC2H 0HE

13. Creativity for Survival by Pilar Enrich - Trafalgar Square, WC2H 0HE

14. Enigma by Jane Morgan - Coutts window, The Strand, WC2R 0Q

15. Helix by Zaha Hadid - Stamp Staircase Basement, South Wing, Somerset House, WC2R 1LA

16. Chromo by Tim Ashley - Waterloo Station, outside M&S, SE1 8SW

17. Birth of the Universe by Andrew Logan - Festival Gardens, St Paul's, EC4M 8AD

18. After The Race by Ross Brawn - Peter's Hill, St Paul's, EC4V 5EY

19. Bios by Nick Gentry - Barbican Centre, Foyer of Cinema 2 & 3, Beech Street, EC2Y 8AE

20. Orange Tree by Leyla Aliyeva - King's Cross Station, near Leon, N1C 4T

21. Ascension - Twisted Ladder in Wood by Benjamin Shine - St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston 

#DNAtrail

Holland Park

Holland Park is the London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s largest park at 22.5 hectares with one of the main attractions being the Japanese garden, Kyoto Garden. The park is open daily from 07:30 until 30 minutes before dusk.

The park, originally, was the grounds for Cope Castle, which was a Jacobean mansion hidden away in the woods. The mansion was built by Sir Walter Cope in the early 17th century, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer under King James I rule. It was renamed to Holland House after the Earl of Holland’s wife Lady Rich had acquired it through inheritance. Following World War II, the mansion was severely damaged leaving only one wing remaining, which is now used for open air theatre and classical concerts.

The Kyoto Garden was created by to celebrate the Japan festival as a joint venture between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the chamber of commerce of Kyoto. It was donated by the chamber of commerce of Kyoto and opened in 1991. It was refurbished in 2001 with garden specialists flown in from Japan to retransform the Garden. The Garden is done in a “tour garden” style, a traditional style of a Japanese garden, with everything carefully arranged to fit and shape in with the climate and locality to make it seem natural.

The garden is made up of different elements with different representations. The waterfall represents mountains and gorges with the water leading into the pond as a representation of the ocean. Around the pond runs paths and a stonebridge. The whole garden is a representation of the splendour and beauty of the landscape. Positioned at different points in the Garden, tōrō (stone lanterns), tsukubai (stone washbasin) and shishi-odoshi (bamboo alarm to scare off animals) are placed along the paths for the enjoyment for the sights of visitors.

 

#HollandPark