Bloomsbury to Barbican

In February we take in the squares and urban parks of Bloomsbury and Clerkenwell, until we reach the Barbican.

Sunday 9th February 2025, 1pm

Each day in 1996, painting by Emma Douglas, Spa Fields Clerkenwell.

We will be joined by Emma Douglas whose recent art has been a homage to her son.

Parks visited include Red Lion Square, Bloomsbury Square Garden, Russell Square and Brunswick Square. There’s a special stop at Coram’s Fields which is usually for kids and carers only, but our special guest Emma Douglas can get us in to see her painting. Then we pass through St George’s Gardens old cemetery, the newbuild Calthorpe Community Garden on Gray’s Inn Road, Saint Andrew’s Garden, past Wilmington Square, and into a modernist Spa Fields. Beneath the multi-storey Turnpike Tower into King Square by St Clement’s, then St Luke’s Garden Islington. Fortune Street Garden is next, before we climb into the third of our modernist treats, the Barbican, which has many trees and plantings, and a great view over the tumbling waterfalls of Speed Garden. The walk culminates with a view of the Conservatory, which occupies several floors of the arts wing of the centre.

£8 ticket

Meeting place: just outside Holborn station
Arrive by tube: Piccadilly or Central lines
Date & time: Sunday February 9th 2025, 1 pm
Distance: 4.6 miles
End point: Barbican
Map: Komoot map click to view
Contact: email tim.ingram-smith@outlook.com mobile: 077932 00932
Cost: £8 per adult walker PAY HERE https://paypal.me/parktopark

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Gallery

Spot the camouflaged cat! St George’s Gardens

Article on Calthorpe Community Garden.

Spa Fields cypress trees & seating

Spa Fields curve, we’ll head for that tower block beyond

Northumberland Square fountain and pavilion

Turnpike House approach

Turnpike House arch, King Square Garden beyond

Golden cross atop St Clement’s steeple, from King Square Garden

King’s Square park features in Pink Floyd’s video Another Brick in the Wall Part 2; you can see the park back in 1979 was broadly open, hedged and paved, and now it is dominated by trees and smaller spaces.

Five a side Football at Finsbury Leisure Centre, St Luke’s steeple beyond

St Luke’s Garden, with Radnor Street Open Space behind

Each day in 1995, painting by Emma Douglas, Fortune Street Park

The text on the left, written by artist Emma Douglas, says This painting is one in a series I am doing in memory of my son Cato Heath who died on 20th December 2010 aged 21 years. I am doing one for every year of his life in places that were significant to him. This one in Fortune Park where he played every day on his way home from school, represents his 7th year from 25.12.1994 to 25.12.1995. Each rectangle stands for one day, some colours are symbols for events that took place like speech therapy or Doctors appointments, the others are normal happy days.

At first I had seen a checkerboard, then I realised it was a window.

On this walk we have seen Emma Douglas’s paintings in Coram Fields, Capital City College, Spa Field and Fortune Street Park. There are another two nearby in St John’s Gardens EC1 representing Years 1 and 22.