Twinkle Park in Deptford

Twinkle Park won a well deserved award in 1999. Before the re-design, by David Ireland Associates it was an unbelievably derelict 'public open space' strewn with broken glass and smashed outdoor furniture. Since the 1992 re-design it has been attractive and much-appreciated local space. Half of Twinkle Park is a wildlife garden with timber decking around a pond. The other half is a playground shared with a school. An ingenious stainless steel structure, resembling a bandstand, has hinged seats on wheels (designed by landscape architect Nigel Abbott). When school children are present the seats divide the park in two and provide security. After school hours the seats are rolled back and open the space for use by teenagers. They like the seating and the facilities for basketball. An interesting aspect of the project is that it was designed in close co-operation with Greenwich Council (who own the land), with local community groups and with Greenwich Mural Workshops (GMW).

Additional note: The Twinkle Park project began when Rob Muskett, an architect with Greenwich Council, was working on the school adjoining the park. The refurbishment of the park included the school grounds, access, circulation and the Charlotte Turner Gardens. Rob had the idea of sharing the park space with the school and the opportunity was taken to improve a terribly unloved small park. After long and complicated negotiations it was agreed that the school would have use of the large flat area during school hours and that after school hours it would become a Public Park. This led on to the division of the site by the bandstand. It is a focal point and also acts as a safety barrier to the pond area. Greenwich Mural Workshops (GMW) were the project managers. They established the project management committee, found the funding, appointed the other designers, developed the community activities and ran the workshops and the liaison.  David Ireland Associates were appointed to complete the masterplan, the contract documentation and drawings for the job to go out to tender.

I: Watergate Street, Deptford, London

HOMEPAGE - Landscape Architecture London List

• 9 months ago Greenwich Mural Workshop said

  The project to develop Twinkle Park began in 1993 in response to a resident in the neighbouring Rowley House requesting Carol Kenna of Greenwich Mural workshop(GMW) to help them refurbish the derelict local authority playground. Over the next three years GMW ran school and public workshops to establish master plan for the improvement of Twinkle Park and Charlotte Turner gardens work placing the primary school as a central feature of the two parks and establishing a new village green. Rob Muskett, architect to Greenwich Council was at that time working with Greenwich Mural Workshop on another project establishing an outdoor classroon in Timbercroft primary school, Plumstead. GMW then asked Muskett to work with them on the Twinkle Park Project. The Masterplan designed through the public consultation and jointly finished by Rob Muskett and Carol Kenna was detailed in deciding the overall theme, functions and axis of the two parks when David Ireland Assocs were selected to detail the masterplan. It was at this point that plans to extend the primary school provided the opportunity to ensure the design of Twinkle Park complemented the primary school extension. Both Rob Muskett and Derek Nash,architects, both then working with Greenwich Council worked with GMW to ensure this. Part of this design process included GMW negotiating a licence between Greenwich Council, the school and Twinkle Park Trust that allowed the school daytime use of the play area for pupils in return for subsidised community use of school facilities funded by Greenwich Council Education, outside school hours the whole park was returned to public use. At present the school has closed but the Park is maintained jointly by Greenwich Council Parks department and Twinkle Park Trust who ensure it is kept in good working order and runs planting and pond clear days and organise an annual summer festival.At the same time GMW facilitated the establishment of Twinkle Park Trust who currently lease both the Park and Charlotte Turner Gardens from Greenwich Council and have raised all the monies required for the refurbishments. The gazebo was jointly designed by Nigel Abbott - overall structure; Stephen Lobb, artist who designed the seats and GMW who designed the mosaic floor. The designs were selected from an open competition by a steering group of local people chaired by Piers Gough, architect. Twinkle Park has received Green Pennant status for the past six years and Charlotte Turner Gardens for the last two years.

• about 1 year ago Editor said

  Thank you for the information - we have updated the entry accordingly.

• about 1 year ago David Riddle said

  I'm not sure why your guide to this park indicates that there is no adjacent housing. There are numerous, both old LCC and new, homes to the south of the site.
  
  It is true that to the north there is none, since this land, across a minor road that forms three sides of the Park, is formed of a large riverside tranche of currently derelict and famous industrial buildings including Payne's Wharf and Borthwicks the meat importers. The Payne's building, currently awaiting a decision on its future after a stalled development (http://www.thamespath.org.uk/2008/05/12/delay-to-deptfords-paynes-borthwick-wharves-redevelopment/) and with one wall shored up, was originally built as the terminus station to service river steamers. The railway line that was never built, but the impressive Doric porticos remain (view from the river side).
  
  Also to the north-west is the Master Shipwrights House, now privately owned, but once just what the name says, the home of the Master Shipwright of Deptford Naval Dockyard. This interesting building is open to the public at the Open House London event every September as well as on request.