The park first appeared on the
public radar in 1951 when it was the site of the Festival of Britain’s prime
building, the Dome of Discovery, as well as its striking temporary landmark:
the Skylon. When these temporary buildings were dismantled the site became a
car park. It remained so until 1977 when a park was laid out for the Queen’s
Silver Jubilee.
The construction of the Jubilee Line extension and of the Golden Jubilee
Bridges led to the deterioration of the gardens, which have since been put
under even greater pressure as South Bank has become recognised as a top
tourist destination attracting some 25m visits a year.
The recent transformation of the Gardens has been managed by an innovative
partnership, the Jubilee Gardens Project Board comprising of Lambeth
Council, Southbank Centre, previous owner of Jubilee Gardens, the Jubilee
Gardens Trust, which is responsible for the management and maintenance of
the Gardens, and Transport for London, which provided funding towards the
project on behalf of the Mayor.
Other funding came from Lambeth Council, secured under section 106 planning
agreements with Shell and the EDF Energy London Eye, and contributions were
made from several charitable trusts including the 29 May 1961 Trust, The
Gosling Foundation and The Hobson Trust.
The contract was carried out by Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd, whose
other projects include work on the Olympic Park and who are specialists in
landscaping, gardening, green roofs and walls, ponds, block paving and more.
The landscape was designed by landscape architects West 8, a cutting-edge
practice which delivers ground-breaking urban parks and public spaces
worldwide.
The project was remarkable in bringing together a very wide range of
partners including: Southbank Centre, Lambeth Council, Shell and EDF Energy
London Eye, the Mayor of London, the Jubilee Gardens Trust, Kate Hoey MP, Rt
Hon Jeremy Hunt, the Shirayama Corporation, South Bank Employers’ Group and
other donors. By working in partnership this group created a wonderful green
vision for gardens in London’s most vibrant area and secured the funding and
planning consent with huge public support. Work was completed on site 35
years after the gardens were first created to celebrate the Queen’s Silver
Jubilee in 1977.