Kai-Oi Jay Yung Intro 25/3/2010:
Between a classic salt beef bagel from Brick Lane and on the way to The Lux Bar, sometimes whizzing by bike, I recall Arnold Circus from when I used to live behind the mosque in Whitechapel on the way to the bars and galleries synonymous with Hoxton Square, as well as in the opposite direction to Genesis Cinema when I lived on Pittfield Street. It’s a curious public space; a mound atop a roundabout with a border of green and a bandstand to flag it off. Jean Locker is one of the key members of The Friends of Arnold Circus and resident in one of the flats radiating off the Circus. Alongside the Bengali community who began to claim the sparse green and the bandstand as shelter and fertile growing plot for beets and pumpkins, the Friends formed from a more adhoc collective who began to frequent the roundabout to plant their own vegetables and plants, nurturing the site and finally forming The Friends of Arnold Circus. Through philanthropy, their constant gardening (sounds like a crap film) reversed the disrepair and neglect that the Circus was otherwise falling into. Gradually they gained local council support and with the aid of Sean the gardener now employed by the Friends… this part of east London is a celery heart for neighbours to hang out, feel part of their own with a space to cultivate produce they can eat as in Bangladesh open crop growth. Irony is recent restoration plans means all the hard maintenance and upkeep will be demolished due to delayed and new overly-stylised? design plans… I found Sean uprooting the herbs and veg that had been blooming to replant at a safer date. It would be a shame to lose the character and public use of this space. Local activity has added to the history as much as the Circus and Boundary estate of the late 19th century was equated to slums, squalor and double the crime rate of the rest of Tower Hamlets/Hackney Borough. Perhaps the large box and balcony scheme Jean has set up around Boundary Estate and Isly Flats will do for now for herself and the community grown around these wilderness activities whilst the restoration takes its time getting underway.
My name is Jean Locker. I am part of The Friends Of Arnold Circus. The friends group formed to raise awareness of the beauty of Arnold Circus and to use it for musical events and to revitalise the planting. This raised garden was formed when slum housing known as The Old Nichol was demolished in 1895 and The Boundary estate was built. The debris from the slum clearance was carried to the centre to form a raised garden and the Victorian housing estate radiates out from the garden. The friends group is made up of local residents from the estate and beyond.
I have always enjoyed plants and nature in general. I learned to recognise trees, photographed, pressed, looked up names of flowers. I love Kew and plant shows. As a child I had a garden but was not really allowed to plant anything as we only rented. We moved to a flat with a small balcony so planting was limited. Now I live in a flat with no planting potential. The local residents association raised funds to build planters and I took up the offer. I then had two boxes to plant and to my mind reclaim the courtyard. I extended and now have 7 large boxes and 9 small planters and butler sinks planted up. I have attempted to plant up a hedgerow to attract insects and butterflies and this year I am concentrating on more climbers to twine and link up the plants. I have been inspired by other local residents who have persisted in planting in their courtyards despite vandalism and theft.
I suppose when we first began digging out the grass and planting bulbs on Arnold Circus we were ‘gorilla gardening’. There is also a small plot of ground near my home which seemed unloved so with a friend I began to water the ground and plant shade-loving plants. There are a few of neighbours lucky enough to have small pieces of ground near their homes. These spaces are annually planted with coriander, Bengali herbs and always at least one pumpkin or a gourd related to the cucumber family. This plant is nurtured with elegantly tied canes and netting structures.
On the day Andy, Robin and I (at least) will be on hand to perhaps clean up The Wonder Garden (a small garden of raised beds provided by The A Foundation for local people and Virginia Road School to plant vegetables). I hope to network with my Bengali neighbours to get them out to talk about their plants plus Mrs Daly who maintains lots of pots and planters and has been an inspiration to me. There will be no access to Arnold Circus as it is undergoing a major restoration.
Friends of Arnold Circus
Everbloom Pocket City Pollination:Kai-Oi Jay Yung Intro 25/3/2010:
Between a classic salt beef bagel from Brick Lane and on the way to The Lux Bar, sometimes whizzing by bike, I recall Arnold Circus from when I used to live behind the mosque in Whitechapel on the way to the bars and galleries synonymous with Hoxton Square, as well as in the opposite direction to Genesis Cinema when I lived on Pittfield Street. It’s a curious public space; a mound atop a roundabout with a border of green and a bandstand to flag it off. Jean Locker is one of the key members of The Friends of Arnold Circus and resident in one of the flats radiating off the Circus. Alongside the Bengali community who began to claim the sparse green and the bandstand as shelter and fertile growing plot for beets and pumpkins, the Friends formed from a more adhoc collective who began to frequent the roundabout to plant their own vegetables and plants, nurturing the site and finally forming The Friends of Arnold Circus. Through philanthropy, their constant gardening (sounds like a crap film) reversed the disrepair and neglect that the Circus was otherwise falling into. Gradually they gained local council support and with the aid of Sean the gardener now employed by the Friends… this part of east London is a celery heart for neighbours to hang out, feel part of their own with a space to cultivate produce they can eat as in Bangladesh open crop growth. Irony is recent restoration plans means all the hard maintenance and upkeep will be demolished due to delayed and new overly-stylised? design plans… I found Sean uprooting the herbs and veg that had been blooming to replant at a safer date. It would be a shame to lose the character and public use of this space. Local activity has added to the history as much as the Circus and Boundary estate of the late 19th century was equated to slums, squalor and double the crime rate of the rest of Tower Hamlets/Hackney Borough. Perhaps the large box and balcony scheme Jean has set up around Boundary Estate and Isly Flats will do for now for herself and the community grown around these wilderness activities whilst the restoration takes its time getting underway.
Here’s a link to Victorian diseases in East London.
http://www.barryoneoff.co.uk/html/squalor.html
Jean Locker.
See more photos at http://www.flickr.com/groups/1410562@N22/
http://www.jay-yung.com/