Garden Details
Moat Community Garden at Millbank NEW
Garden withdrawn
The Garden
The Moat Community Garden is part of the Grade 2 listed Millbank Estate in SW1, near Tate Britain. Local people used the remains of the former prison moat to create the garden, which now has around 30 wooden planters and a number of benches, tables and chairs used by residents and for events. The space includes washing lines, used for laundry as well as by artists for projects. Residents use the space to relax, read and play games such as chess.Over the years, a number of collaborative projects and events have taken place in the garden including popup art exhibitions, installations of projects by students at Chelsea College of Arts, planting sessions by primary school children, and cooking classes. Workshops run by Millbank Creative Works at Tate Britain and Chelsea Collage of Arts have brought together stakeholders from the whole Millbank Conservation Area. They are now developing the Greener Millbank project, exploring the potential for the whole area to become an urban model regenerative neighbourhood.
A collaboration with the UAL's Interior and Spatial Design BA course, led by Shibboleth Shechter and Wilfried Rimensberger as Local in Residence, has led to many research-underpinned projects. In consequence, the garden features in a number of academic papers and books. Gardening Group members also participate in creative upcycling workshops facilitated by Tate Britain's environmental department.
The Gardening Group consists of eight core members taking care of day-to-day upkeep of the space. Pre-COVID, the group successfully participated for some years in the RHS's London In Bloom competition.
Gardener: Rimantas Jackevicius
Visitor Information
- Activities
Sunflower planting for World Peace 2025: Paint, draw a tag for the Open Garden Punk Tree, and exchange your artwork for a sunflower planting set you can take home, to plant a peace sunflower on your window sill or balcony.
Enjoy Greener Millbank Artist In Residence Sophie O'Leary's sketches: local garden art will hang on the washing lines, and O'Leary is currently creating 12 large canvas paintings to be exhibited later in 2025.
Ideas and Experiences box: Leave your own ideas and experiences in the comment box, and bring along your own seeds which we will use to create a visitors' memory planter.
Add stitches to the community hummingbird: over 70 people have so far contributed to the hummingbird canvas, a colourful embroidery on a recycled Tate coffee bean sack. Add your stitches and help us to complete this collaborative work of art and craft.Refreshments: Join TMO and Gardening Group members for refreshments and an exchange of ideas and experiences.
- Picnics allowed.
- Entrance
- John Islip Street or Cureton Street
Nearest postcode: SW1P 4EH - Buses
- Map of nearby bus stops
- Station
- Pimlico
- Cycle hire station
- Rampayne Street (Map)
- Access
- Both entrances are via nine steps. One entrance has a handle. Access is secured with a number lock. There are two benches in the courtyard overlooking the moat garden. These will be available for visitors with mobility issues.
- Dogs
- Working assistance dogs only
