On Friday, our School Council visited Covent Garden Playground, just up the road from our school on Drury Lane.

This morning the School Councillors led an assembly, to tell the rest of the school all about this special play area and garden in our community.

 

 

Have you ever noticed the cross on the wall of the old building by the park entrance?

This is because this space used to be a burial ground for the church of St Martin-in-Fields. You’ve probably walked past that church before – it’s not far away, by Trafalgar Square.

 

This burial ground became overcrowded. In 1875, a lady called Octavia Hill, found this space and decided that it could be put to better use, to serve the people of this local area.

 

Octavia Hill was passionate about making better use of land and open spaces for the public.

Her campaigning to protect areas from development led to the founding of ‘The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty’ in 1895. Octavia Hill helped to set up the National Trust, buying and protecting its first land and houses.

 

Thanks to Octavia Hill, this garden on Drury Lane has provided a play space and outdoor community area for local families, for nearly 150 years!

 

An exciting project is underway to develop and improve this playground and garden over the next 3 years!  Lots of brilliant work has already begun…

 

Covent Garden Market, until the 1970s, was famous for selling fruit and vegetables! 

This year, children from our school helped to plant fruit trees in the garden on Drury Lane. In future years, these trees will produce fruit in a garden space that has been used by generations of workers from Covent Garden Market.

 

When our School Council visited the garden on Friday, they met garden designer, Peter Korn. He told the children about some of the garden’s 150 species of plants, including lovely smelling herbs like Mint and Oregano.

Did you know that some new Coca-Cola plants have been planted in this garden?! They smell just like Coca-Cola!

 

Have you noticed the two big trees by the garden’s basketball court? These are called Gingko trees. 

 

On Friday, we helped to add more plants to the garden! The new plants will improve air quality by filtering pollution.

A new insect house in the garden will help attract more pollinators too.

 

In their assembly this morning, the School Coucillors explained how we can all help to look after this playground and garden so that many more children and families can enjoy it over the years!

What can you do to help?

 

 

To find out more about this local community project, please click here:

Covent Garden Playground