Canary Wharf Open Garden Squares Weekend

Canary Wharf’s Crossrail Place Roof Garden returns to Open Garden Squares Weekend

New festival Open House Families to inspire young architects

This weekend sees Canary Wharf’s Crossrail Place Roof Garden join the line-up for Open Garden Squares Weekend (OGSW), an annual London event that encourages the public to explore the capital’s picturesque urban gardens.

This exotic garden hidden amongst towering buildings will host a wide-ranging programme of free events over the weekend, epitomising OGSW's aims to promote enjoyment and appreciation of London's green spaces, wherever they are found amidst the urban jungle.

The roof garden was designed by landscape architects Gillespies and visitors can learn about how its layout pays homage to Canary Wharf’s maritime heritage. The site originally known as West India Dock was created to be a secure dock for precious cargoes of sugar, rum and spices. The roof garden’s location, almost directly on the Meridian Line, is reflected in its design and its division into two geographical zones. For example, Japanese Maples and Bamboo can be found in the east of the garden and New Zealand tree ferns in the west.

Alongside the activities programme, which will include free classical music and guided garden tours from Landscape Manager Alec Butcher, visitors can also enjoy an exhibition by artist Debbie Ayles entitled ‘Dynamic City: Reflections in Canary Wharf’. London-born artist Debbie created a series of paintings inspired by the buildings at Canary Wharf, which are presented as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2018, whose theme this year explores the interpretation of individual identity and deconstructing a city environment.

Open House Families
Across the same weekend, Canary Wharf will also be hosting a series of 13 workshops as part of the Open House Families initiative. The new festival, designed by charity Open City, aims to inspire the next generation of architects, who will hopefully one day make their own mark on London’s skyline.

Children and families will have the opportunity to participate in a range of immersive events, including Al Dente Engineering which calls for participants to experiment with different pasta to create the ultimate structure and a race against the clock to build the biggest and best LEGO structure. Times vary for all workshops from 11am-4pm across the weekend.