West Grove, Elephant Park SE1 & SE17

The last sheets of protective hoarding hiding The Orchard Gardens, West Grove at Elephant Park have been removed recently enabling this west facing section to be seen in its entirety. The brick cladding theme already seen in the adjacent South Gardens (by Maccreanor Lavington) continues in West Grove and gives a unique look to each building. Together with the South Gardens section of  Elephant Park, these buildings form a harmonious neighbourhood with a strong visual identity.

Facing Walworth Square is the low-rise Orchard Garden Terrace which follows Sayer Street or the Central Shopping Street. Fronting Walworth Road is the distinctive Orchard Point or Walton Heights Tower.  Already tenanted, both blocks offer a mix of contemporary, open plan apartments ranging from suites to three bedroom dwellings, each with additional outdoor space such as balcony or terrace. Residents have access to a landscaped inner courtyard with well-established trees and shrubs as well as the grow, play and seating areas.  A residents’ room is located on the top floor of the tower, which benefits from stunning city panoramas.

The centrepiece of this section of the development is Walworth Square, the public realm opening onto Walworth Road and overlooking the old town hall. Designed to serve as a large public square, the realm doubles as an open garden and entrance leading to the main shopping area.  Accessible to all, the square offers pedestrian routes through the development to various parts of the neighbouring SE1 and SE17 postcodes.

Inviting and light, Walworth Square is a perfect pocket park, offering some welcome respite to pedestrians and cyclists continuing their journey to and from the hectic and heavy traffic of the Elephant and Castle roundabout. The new Southwark Memorial sculpture, a bronze artwork by the Scottish sculptor Henry Hunter, sets the scene in this quiet square in which people can meet, rest and reflect.

Merkato Metropolitano (MM) is to dominate the market space at Walworth Square, which is great news for this up-and-coming young neighbourhood. The MM factory will combine an urban food production centre and a mix of micro restaurants. High quality and sustainable food concepts from around the globe will be unveiled here in the summer of 2019. This trendy dining enterprise is already running a very popular market on Newington Causeway near Elephant & Castle. 

The park and square form a new urban oasis in Elephant & Castle with comfortable benches, a cluster of beautiful orchard trees, elaborate grassed areas and diverse flowerbeds, plus plenty of secure bicycle racks.  On the opposite side of the square is the Grade II listed Walworth Town Hall building (still waiting restoration), protected by a large decorative hoarding by the artist Terry Lemon.

All things considered, this new western border section of the development seamlessly merges into Elephant Park and brings in new elements, which in turn make this development part of a thriving and inspiring new neighbourhood in the centre of larger SE17 area.

Elephant Park is developed by Lendlease and is part of the Climate Positive Development Programme supporting the future of sustainable urban development.

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