Dalston Curve Garden

Bar in Dalston

8 / 10 from 1 review

Address
Curve Garden
13 Dalston Lane
Dalston
London
E8 3DF

Map

Region
Dalston

Nearest Station
Dalston Junction
0.09 miles

Category
Bars

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The Dalston Eastern Curve Garden has been created on the old Eastern Curve railway line which once linked Dalston Junction Station to the goods yard and the North London Line.

The architectural collective Exyzt who built temporary Dalston Mill on the site in 2009, returned in spring 2010 to construct a spacious wooden garden pavilion for events, workshops and gatherings.

Wildlife-friendly trees and shrubs, including hazel, hawthorn and birch have been planted alongside butterfly bushes, bracken and other plants that were already growing on the derelict site. The Garden also includes large raised beds for growing food, which are already filling up fast with tomatoes, peppers and scented herbs, all grown by Dalston residents.

Dalston Curve Garden Picture Gallery

All In London Review

One of Dalston’s wildest, most extraordinary places.

Such is the weird and wonderful nature of Dalston the idea of a community garden doesn’t strike you as anything out of the ordinary or particularly special. But that’s just the thought of it, one visit into the secreted, out of sight shrubbery and you’re sold on what is actually one of Dalston’s most extraordinary places.

So many Londoners live without a garden that it doesn’t come as a surprise to find out that The Dalston Eastern Curve Garden is truly cherished. Located on the former derelict site of the old curve railway line on Dalston Lane, the garden and small café-bar are maintained by a community group of residents and volunteers. The garden is a leafy oasis that is as pretty as it is improbable given its location. Wildlife-friendly trees and shrubs have been planted to encourage the eco-system to thrive and there are spaces where fresh produce is grown. You’ll find hazel, birch and hawthorn as well as tomatoes, peppers and herbs. Filled with nooks in which to settle in and picnic the garden is the ideal place for urban dwellers to force a slice of nature into their lives.

A wooden pavilion stands at the top of the garden and here you can buy coffee, cakes and beer. While families dominate the Eastern Curve Garden during the day, the evenings give way to a different crowd - one that pounces on the idea of the picnic and BYOB, or of sampling one of the cask ales. Live events and workshops add to the inspiring project but the garden is the main event. Once again, when so many Londoners have so little access to wild, overgrown spaces like this, the beer; the music and the workshops are just a bonus.

Reviewed by T.A.O
Published on Aug 13, 2013