Olden Community Garden is a hidden green space in Islington, and a two-acre Site of Importance to Nature Conservation. Developed for nearly 40 years by enthusiastic local residents, the garden's herbaceous border, wildflower meadow, butterfly garden, wildlife pond, orchard, vegetable terraces, and extensive woodland have all emerged from a railway embankment. The lawn and Garden House, with adjacent patio seating areas, provide the perfect setting for community events and parties. A walk through the woodland paths is a delight for all ages.
Olden Community Garden is a volunteer-run charity, providing recreation and education opportunities for our local community. Guided by part-time professional gardeners, volunteers maintain the space and use the greenhouse to grow cuttings, herbs and seeds.
Capital Growth garden: 58
Visitor Information
Open
Saturday 11:00–16:00
Activities
Tea, coffee and cake in the Garden House. Walk in the woodland.
Entrance
Whistler Street, opposite no 22 Nearest postcode: N5 1NH
Garden not fully accessible to wheelchair users.
Wheelchair access to level formal garden with lawn, patio seating areas, Garden House and toilet. The rest of the garden and much of the woodland is accessible by steps with uneven surfaces. Part of the garden is on a former railway embankment.
A silver medal winner at the Chelsea Flower Show 2024, the garden was relocated to Freedom from Torture's London Therapy Centre, where it is being used for horticultural and other therapies for survivors of torture. Guides available. Refreshments.
The nature gardens were set up at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic on semi-derelict locked spaces on the Highbury Quadrant Estate, with the aim of establishing three new thriving community gardens; the Meadow, the Woodland Garden and the Orchard.
