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St Thomas' Hospital Garden

The garden is on the site of the house formerly occupied by the Treasurer of St Thomas' Hospital (when it was a charitable institution). The garden was made when the eastern part of the hospital was re-built in the 1960s and is a good example of modernist garden design. The central feature is a revolving fountain by the constructivist sculptor Naum Gabo (1890-1977): the Revolving Torsion Fountain (1972-73). Water is emitted from small holes in the fountain and they are often blocked by algae. The fountain was restored in 1987 and has been working a little better since then. The combination of an Abstract Modern garden plan with a Constructivist sculpture makes this the locus classicus for modern garden design in London. See essay on Landscape architecture manifestos: Constructivist, Apocalyptic and Optimistic by Robert Holden and Tom Turner.

St Thomas's Hospital Garden is on the London Gardens Walk and included in the eBook guide to the London Gardens Walk

Photograph © Gardenvisit.com

Lambeth Palace Road, London, Greater London, England, SE1 7EH

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