Access Boundaries
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Access North 6.4. The courtyard between the Vicarage and gardens the lower gardens. The western boundary of the site is formed by Upper Street itself, and a line of is used for regular pedestrian access to the church Scale: NTS mature plane trees. office and neighbourhood centre. The paved VICARAGE/ forecourt parallel to Upper Street forms the CHURCH DANSK FLOWERS pedestrian route to the church portico and crypt OFFICE door from Upper Street, but it is also the vehicle ST MARY’S access to the parking areas to north and south NEIGHBOURHOOD of the church. However it is also used by moped CENTRE drivers who drive at speed causing danger to pedestrians exiting the church from the portico. LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE 6.5. There is only one access into the northern gardens from Upper Street, via a pedestrian gate adjacent to the crypt entrance at the southwest corner of the gardens. This leads via the diagonal paved path to a second gate on Dagmar Terrace adjacent to the Little Angel Theatre. This path is a very well used short-cut to Essex Road as well as a route to the lower gardens. The path has a low retaining wall on its north side, which causes the garden to feel divided in two. 6.6. An emergency access route behind a metal railing follows the north elevation of the church from steps up from the crypt. Boundaries 6.7. The northern and southern boundaries of UPPER STREET the garden are formed by the walls of the Neighbourhood Centre and the church respectively. The west and northwestern boundaries of the garden are formed by a 1.5m high reproduction iron railing, with the two KEY Metal railing on brick plinth sections of railing having different metalwork patterns and plinth details. The short section of Pedestrian access points Metal railing on stone plinth railing at the eastern boundary with the Little ST MARY’S Metal railing with cast iron posts Angel Theatre is an older, probably 19th Century, CHURCH Vehicular access points railing with cast iron post. The rest of the eastern Vehicular routes Metal railing and access only gate boundary is formed by the rear of a pair of houses on Dagmar Terrace and the south-eastern corner Important pedestrian thoroughfares Lockable public access gates of the space opens up via a flight of steps down to Emergency pedestrian access route Knee high brick retaining wall with Fig 15: Existing Site Access and Boundary Plan. Not to scale. stone coping St Mary’s, Islington Page 16 685.01 (RP) 004 Image 1: Paved access used for pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Image 3: Courtyard used for access to Vicarage, Church Office & Neighborhood Centre. Image 5: Access gates and railing from Dagmar terrace - probably 19th Century. Image 2: Emergency fire access to Crypt. Image 4: Diagonal path provides a cut through to Dagmar Terrace. Image 6: Western boundary railings on granite plinth; approx. 1.5m high. St Mary’s, Islington Page 17 685.01 (RP) 004 Heritage Assets North 6.8. Following the clearance of the burial ground in 1853, few historical artifacts remain in the Scale: NTS DANSK gardens. Some of the gravestones have been VICARAGE/ placed along the northern boundary wall, and FLOWERS CHURCH two raised tombs remain in the NW corner of OFFICE the garden. A plinth from a former obelisk sits at ST MARY’S the SW end of the diagonal path adjacent to the NEIGHBOURHOOD crypt entrance. There is also a large ledger stone CENTRE to the south of the diagonal path and two 19th Century iron ‘jardiniere’ urns at either end of the LITTLE ANGEL central sitting space. The railings and other street THEATRE furniture are modern. UPPER STREET ST MARY’S KEY CHURCH Memorials/tombs/ledger stones Historic urns (19th Century) Headstones against building Fig 16: Existing Site Heritage Assets Plan. Not to scale. St Mary’s, Islington Page 18 685.01 (RP) 004 Image 3: Tombstones in planting overgrown with ivy. Image 3: Image 1: 19th Century iron ‘jardiniere’ urns in central seating area. Image 5: Plinth from a former obelisk opposite entrance to Crypt. Image 2: Tombstones overgrown with ivy. Image 4: Ledger stone to the south of the diagonal path. Image 6: Headstones propped against Little Angel Theatre and Neighborhood Centre (northern boundary of garden). St Mary’s, Islington Page 19 685.01 (RP) 004 Trees and Vegetation North 6.9. The site is predominantly laid to grass, but this is patchy and of poor quality due to compaction, Scale: NTS DANSK lack of light, and the mature plane trees which VICARAGE/ shed leaves on the grass in the autumn and draw FLOWERS CHURCH moisture out of the soil. During the winter months, OFFICE the lawn is reduced to bare soil and routinely has ST MARY’S to be re-seeded. NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE 6.10. There is a dense tree canopy over much of the garden. A line of London plane trees lines Upper LITTLE ANGEL Street and have been managed by periodic crown THEATRE reduction to keep the branches off the church building fabric. Within the northern garden there are four mature London planes grouped towards the western end of the site, and a mature plane and early mature lime tree towards the eastern end. Two trees have recently been removed for arboricultural reasons; the remaining trees are in a good condition. 6.11. A belt of overgrown shrubs, including Amelanchier, Viburnum and Cotoneaster with ivy beneath occupies the western side of the site and creates a high ‘wall’ of planting that blocks views from the street into the gardens. A further belt of tall shrubs wraps around the north and east side of the church, also blocking views from the upper to lower gardens. Lower shrubs include the remnants of a box hedge around the central sitting UPPER STREET area, and an evergreen clematis growing up the south wall of the Little Angel Theatre. KEY Existing trees to be retained ST MARY’S Vegetation CHURCH Vegetation obscuring views into gardens Climbing plant - Clematis Remnants of box hedge Fig 17: Existing Site Trees and Vegetation Plan. Not to scale. St Mary’s, Islington Page 20 685.01 (RP) 004 Image 3: Photo of existing western vegetation obscuring views in and out of gardens. Image 1: Tall shrubs adjacent to northern elevation of church. Image 4: Adapted photo illustrating western vegetation removed allowing views in and out of gardens. Image 2: Remnants of a box hedge around the central sitting area and Viburnum and Cotoneaster with ivy beneath along northern boundary. Image 5: Two of the 5 mature London Planes within the gardens. Image 6: Mature London Plane adjacent to Dagmar Terrace. St Mary’s, Islington Page 21 685.01 (RP) 004 Materials North 6.12. Paving materials comprise a mixture of different natural stones, including porphyry setts laid in a Scale: NTS DANSK fan pattern in the courtyard outside the Vicarage; VICARAGE/ coursed York stone slabs and setts in the forecourt; FLOWERS CHURCH coursed, sawn sandstone flags on the diagonal OFFICE Dagmar Path; and reclaimed riven York stone flags ST MARY’S in the central sitting area. The boundary railings NEIGHBOURHOOD are iron, on a granite plinth (and a brick plinth 2 CENTRE on the return alongside the Vicarage). Most of these materials were laid in the 2000 HLF garden LITTLE ANGEL scheme and are not historic. The low retaining wall THEATRE alongside the diagonal path is brick with a sawn stone coping. LP 2 Furniture and Lighting 6.13. Site furniture includes a number of timber and cast iron/timber seats around the central sitting 1 area; iron and plastic litter and recycling bins along the central path; and a mixture of stone and cast 1 iron bollards along Upper Street together with a number of concrete benches. There are three 1 galvanized steel cycle hoops adjacent to the crypt 3 entrance and two rather visually intrusive church signs behind the railings facing west. Two 1100L 3 rubbish bins are recessed into the railings on the northern boundary of the garden for use by the flower shop and Neighbourhood Centre. UPPER STREET 6.14. Lighting within the gardens is poor. A number of in-ground uplights no longer work, and so there 1 is no light within the garden itself. Street lighting on Upper Street and Dagmar Terrace provides spill KEY Timber and cast iron bench light into the site, while a pair of historic gas lamps flank the entrance to the portico and light the Concrete bench Sandstone paving flags forecourt. 1 Bin ST MARY’S 2 Porphyry setts - fan formation CHURCH 1100 ltr bins 3 Stone setts LP Dagmar Terrace lamp post Knee high brick retaining wall with stone coping Cast iron/stone bollards Cycle stands Fig 18: Existing Site Materials and Furniture Plan. Not to scale. St Mary’s, Islington Page 22 685.01 (RP) 004 Image 4: Western boundary railings. Image 1: Central seating area - riven finish York stone flags. Image 5: Cycle stands adjacent to Image 6: Bins adjacent to diagonal path near south west garden Image 7: Cast Iron bollards and Crypt entrance. entrance. stone benches along Upper Street. Image 2: Southern link path - stone setts. Image 3: Diagonal path - sawn finish sand stone flags. Image 8: Stone sett vehicular carriageway parallel to Upper Street. Image 9: Bin storage in recess on northern garden boundary. St Mary’s, Islington Page 23 685.01 (RP) 004 7. ISSUES, CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES 7.1. From the above analysis of the site and discussions • There is little within the site that explains its with stakeholders, it is clear that the following history or significance.