REJUVENATING A NEGLECTED GREEN SPACE

During the Second World War, the corner of Wangey Road/Cedar Park Gardens was used as an allotment for fruit and vegetables, as rationing made purchasing such items difficult. Wangey Road has historically been a terminus for buses, heading towards London and the countryside, as well as trams and trolleybuses. The allotment provided so much food at the time that a lot of it was simply donated to the drivers by nearby residents.

When the Public Conveniences were first built, attendants were permanently stationed to look after the area which included tending to the garden. The first roses were planted in the central patch, and the site was a source of local pride winning a number of awards over the years.

In the 1990s, local resident Dick Harman planted a solitary cherry tree at the garden, next to his house at No.1 Cedar Park Gardens. The tree is still admired by the local community today, particularly when it blossoms during Spring.

However, due to Council budget constraints in the early-2010s, the attendants were eventually released from their duties. For almost a decade, the site was left neglected. Tons of dumped rubbish accumulated, and the garden became overgrown and inaccessible. The once award-winning Public Conveniences were now a hotspot for crime with incidents of sexual assault, drug use and drug dealing, public urination, vandalism and fly-tipping becoming commonplace. Something had to change.

In April 2019, the Chadwell Heath South Residents’ Association adopted the green spaces on the corner of Wangey Road/Cedar Park Gardens from Redbridge Council, and commenced work to create a Community Garden.

We were awarded a grant, for the sum of £1,364.74, by Redbridge Council and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, for equipment required by our volunteers to clean-up and cultivate the garden into a space that can be enjoyed by the local community.

MTR Elizabeth Line and Webb’s Garden Centre kindly donated £500 for the Community Garden, to spend on new plants, shrubs and trees.

Scroll through our galleries below to see our progress over the past seven months!

20th april 2019

Our team of volunteer residents, Councillor Bert Jones (Chadwell Ward Councillor) and Katrina Treacy (MTR Elizabeth Line’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager) all joined together for the Great British Spring Clean 2019 - the perfect way to start our project!

All sorts of crazy things were found; from a fly-tipped sofa and a tree guard, to numerous bottles, food wrappers, clothing, syringes, a child's scooter and a bicycle tyre. We focused on trimming back the hedges and bushes as much as we could.

4th may 2019

An odd mix of weather didn't stop us from continuing to work on the garden - from being pelted with hail, to baking in the sun!

We focused on pruning and clearing the rest of the main garden. The section of hedges facing Wangey Road was removed to open the space up, and allow the garden to be visible to the public. Flower beds will be planted here in the near future. A bees nest was found, and we will seek professional services to get it safely removed.

25th may 2019

We were so pleased to see our roses are blooming again for the first time in many years. We spent most of this weekend digging up the remaining large roots, trimming down more of the front hedge and picking litter and weeds.

15th JUNE 2019

We mowed the lawn and shaped the hedges. A space was then cleared for a new flower bed in a triangular-shaped patch.

22nd JUNE 2019

We sanded down and stripped away the flaking paint on the railings, and made a start with a new coat of black Hammerite paint. The hedges surrounding the cherry tree were also trimmed back further.

6th JUly 2019

We continued to paint the railings, and the main garden gate was removed in order to be repaired. Mowed the lawn and dug up more weeds too!

13th JUly 2019

We finally finished painting the railings surrounding the garden. The bush against the wall was also trimmed back further, so that we could remove litter and dangerous objects buried underneath and stuffed inside.

20th JUly 2019

We split into two teams! One focused on trimming the front hedge and painting the front railing, the other cleared weeds and tilled the soil at the main garden.

28th SEPTEMBER 2019

Planting Season has arrived! Thanks to the support of MTR Elizabeth Line - Katrina Treacy (Customer and Community Engagement Manager) & Richard Baker (Community Ambassador) - and Webb’s Garden Centre, we finally brought some much needed colour to the main garden. A memorable day for our community.

5th october 2019

We created another flower bed by the Wangey Road side of the garden, positioned shrubs and set to work planting them.

12th october 2019

The gate has been painted and fixed! We also planted 12 rose bushes in the triangular patch - red, orange, yellow, pink and white - looking forward to seeing them grow!

19th october 2019

CHSRA took part in Redbridge Council’s Big Bulb Planting Weekend! A range of daffodils, tulips and hyacinths were kindly provided by the Council. We also placed logs around the triangular patch to protect the rose bushes. #RedbridgeBulbs

3RD NOVEMBER 2019

We planted new euonymus bushes by No.1 Cedar Park Gardens, and two new Japanese cherry trees (pink and white blossom) in the main garden!

9TH NOVEMBER 2019

Two more stumps were positioned in the triangular patch, to protect the area and deter passersby from treading on the plants. 6 more rose bushes were planted here too, as sadly 4 were stolen. We managed to commence work on shaping the final bushes and clearing a ton of litter next to the large cherry tree.

@chadwellgarden