Showing posts with label Horniman gardens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Horniman gardens. Show all posts

30 March 2022

A Forest for our Future


By Quetta Kaye


The planned forest along the perimeter of the Horniman Gardens adjacent to the south circular road − designed to provide a welcome barrier against noise and pollution from this major artery − began in earnest in early December 2021, when the Gardens’ team, led by the head of horticulture, Errol Fernandes, began the initial hard work of preparing the ground: removing turf, digging and mulching (using the Gardens’ homemade compost) and laying out the plan like a curving wide ribbon on the ground in preparation for the planting of about 900 trees. 


By mid-January 2022 hundreds of coloured sticks, each representing one of a mix of around 30 different tree varieties, had been poked into the ground, and then planting of the little trees began in earnest, with each tender plant placed within its own protective felt mat. 


Hundreds of flower bulbs and plugs have also been planted alongside the forest. How lucky we are!

 



20 September 2021

Forest Hill Society AGM

All members and non-members are welcome to attend our AGM, which will take place at the Horniman Museum Pavilion (near the animal walk), on Wednesday 13th October at 7:00pm.   

We are pleased to welcome Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham as our guest speaker.   

The event is free to attend and there will be refreshments on sale.   

The AGM is an opportunity to find out more about what is happening in Forest Hill, to share your concerns and to shape the future of the Society. We would encourage all members to get even more involved by standing for the Executive Committee, or joining one of our committees focused on planning, environment, transport or communications. If you would like more details about getting involved, please contact claus@foresthillsociety.com

05 July 2021

Jerk Cookout is Back

As part of the 696 festival of Black music in south London, the Horniman Museum is hosting the Jerk Cookout, a family-friendly food and music festival on Saturday 31st July.



Back in 2009, this proved to be possibly the most popular event ever hosted in Forest Hill. With over 20,000 people attending the event it was a little too popular for a small park!
This year's event will be much smaller and will require tickets to be booked in advance. Adults £13.56, concessions £8, under 16s go free.

To find out more and book tickets, visit:
www.horniman.ac.uk/event/the-original-jerk-cookout/

21 April 2021

20th Century History of Forest Hill

 

If you are unable to see the recording in this post, you can view it on YouTube.

Recording of the discussion that took place on 20th April 2021 with panelists:

Pip Wedge lived in Forest Hill from 1928 to 1954, including most of the Second World War, and assisted people when Forest Hill station was bombed. He will be joining us from Canada where he has lived since 1965.

Angela Finch is part of the Finch family who have been trading in Forest Hill since 1947. Finches currently focus on bikes, skiing and extreme sports, but once they were one of the largest removal firms in London.

John Hodgett moved to Forest Hill in 1949 when he was two years old, and has lived in the area ever since - in a variety of different streets. John remembers many of the old shops around Forest Hill, some great concerts at the Glenlyn Ballroom in the 1960s, and taking steam trains direct from Forest Hill to Brighton.

26 March 2021

Back from the Brink: Trees of Significance


By Quetta Kaye, Environment Committee chair

At the top of the hill in the Horniman Gardens, near to the Butterfly House, there is a prehistoric park. Next to the model of the 75 million-year-old Velociraptor among the ferns, Cycads, Horsetails, Ginkgo and Monkey Puzzle is a specimen of the brilliant green Wollemi Pine.

The Wollemi Pine, which first appeared during the Cretaceous period around 90 million years ago, was thought to be extinct until 1994 when a specimen was found in the Blue Mountains of Australia, from which seeds were taken, distributed to specialised botanical institutions around the world and germinated. Now an example of this prehistoric survivor has had a chance to live again … in our Horniman Gardens’ prehistory patch.


Elsewhere, near the beautiful Victorian conservatory, is another magnificent survivor from prehistory: the Chinese (or Dawn) Redwood. This Redwood holds an interesting place in the history of palaeobotany as one of the few living plants known first as a fossil record until, in 1944, living trees were discovered in China. There are several specimens in the Horniman Gardens.

How lucky we are to be able to enjoy these throwbacks from the time when dinosaurs walked the earth, and when flowering plants had yet to develop. These are our direct contacts with the past, to be enjoyed in the present and, we hope, to survive for future generations. Significant trees indeed!

 

 

Scientific names of the trees mentioned:
Cycads (Cycas revoluta), Horsetail (Equicetum hyemale), Ginkgo  (Ginkgo  biloba), Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria Araucana), Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis), Chinese Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides).


15 October 2020

Horniman’s Clock Faces Go Green for Parks

 Forest Hill’s Horniman Museum and Gardens will turn its iconic clock faces green tonight (14 October) to celebrate its 16th consecutive Green Flag Award.

The Horniman is one of more than 80 locations to GoGreenForParks, with buildings and landmarks lighting up in a nationwide celebration of great quality parks and green spaces
recognised by the Green Flag Awards, including the White Cliffs of Dover at Samphire Hoe, the London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Salford’s Media City.

Kirsten Walker, Director of Collection's Care and Estates at the Horniman Museum and Gardens, says: ‘We know how valuable parks and outdoor spaces are for people’s wellbeing, and this year they have been more important than ever. Our visitors tell us how much they value the Horniman Gardens as somewhere to enjoy nature, spend time with family and friends, be inspired by beautiful plants and displays, to exercise, relax and admire the views. Our Gardens and Estates teams have really done us proud this year, and we’re delighted to #GoGreenForParks to celebrate their hard work and the joy that the Gardens bring.’

The Horniman has minimised the environmental impact of taking part in #GoGreenForParks by adding coloured gels to existing lights, rather than using extra lighting and energy, in line with its Climate and Ecology policy. The green clock faces can be seen from dusk on 14 to 16 October.

Full details on the Horniman website.

18 September 2020

Gardening Through Lockdown

Wesley Shaw, the Horniman Gardens’ Head of Horticulture, was interviewed by Quetta Kaye, chair of Forest Hill Society’s Environment Committee.



QK:  Congratulations on keeping the Gardens open to the public throughout the lockdown and initiating new planting schemes.  How did you manage this?

WS: We have all been really pleased with the Gardens this year. As you say, everything looks lovely and all credit should go to the Gardens’ team who have really done a great job. When the lockdown was introduced my team were designated Key Workers to enable the Gardens to remain open and provide a place for the local community to exercise in. To safely do this we split everyone into separate teams and each team worked alternate days. Unfortunately, this meant we weren’t able to provide cover into the evening, so we temporarily reduced the closing time to 4.30pm. 

QK:  Since you became Head Gardener 7 years ago, you have altered or created new planted areas in the Gardens. Where does the inspiration come from? 

WS: My brief is to try and create displays that complement the Museum’s collections and temporary exhibitions as well as keeping all the amenity areas looking good. We try and do at least one ‘pop-up garden’ each year. The ideas usually come from myself and the team, and I then present them to the senior management team.

This gives us a great opportunity to do some interesting and innovative horticulture. Last year we used the Brick Wonders exhibition as inspiration for the summer bedding display in the Sunken Garden and created a modernist version of a bedding scheme using blocks of colour to represent Lego bricks. Visually it made a big impact and even got a full-colour spread in The Times and The Daily Telegraph.

Our last big project was to create the Grassland Garden in conjunction with the landscape designer Professor James Hitchmough and the plantsman Neil Lucas. This was intended to complement the new World Gallery that opened in the Museum in 2018. The idea was to celebrate grassland habitats and the relationship indigenous people have with them, as well as providing a beautiful long-lasting floral display that is low maintenance and great for wildlife.

QK: The newly installed bee-friendly garden at the front of the Museum is particularly apt, as is the pollution-absorbing sculpture.  Where did this idea come from and how long has it taken to create and install?

WS: The area that is now the Bee Garden has been given over to wildflowers in recent years, but we decided to step it up and create a garden dedicated to supporting bees.

The inspiration for a bee garden came after our CEO Nick Merriman declared a climate and ecological emergency. We wanted to build a garden that would really benefit wildlife, particularly bees, and to hopefully provide some inspiration to visitors about how they can create something similar in their own gardens. 

Coincidentally around that time I met local artist Dr Jasmine Pradissitto. Jasmine was really keen to exhibit some of her work in the Gardens, so I told her about our plans for a bee garden.  This worked perfectly as she has been sculpting with a material called NoxTek that removes harmful respiratory NOx pollutants from the atmosphere. NOx is thought to interfere with the ability of bees to find and pollinate flowers. It’s a great example of how public art can not only drive awareness but also create a beneficial intervention which is fitting for the ‘Culture Declares’ mission statement of increased sustainability and protection for the environment and the biodiverse creatures that need it to survive.

The garden is really quite simple: we have a series of hexagonal raised beds planted full of bee-loving plants, surrounded by meadow turf and two rather marvellous bee hotels created by my team. Jasmine’s sculpture takes centre stage in the raised beds as a focal point for the whole display.



Lockdown made it a bit tricky getting materials and plants, but we managed to get everything we needed and by mid-May we were finished and Flower Girl was installed. It looks great and, more importantly, it is absolutely crawling with bees! If you haven’t seen it, you really need to!

QK:  Did you come to the Horniman Gardens with preconceived ideas of what you would like to do, or have ideas evolved around the landscape and the educational aspects involved?

WS: A bit of both really.  I started shortly after the Heritage Lottery-funded redevelopment was finished in 2012. There were a few areas that hadn’t been completely finished and other areas that still needed improving, so over the last seven years we have been working our way through these, as well as trying to create pop-up gardens at the same time. But there’s always something that needs improving or changing, which is a good thing because it means the Garden continues to evolve and improve.

QK: Without revealing any secrets, is there a budget for planting in the Gardens? By which I mean, how strictly are you constrained financially in what you are able to do? 

WS: There isn’t a budget purely for planting.  I have a budget that covers all operational elements of the Gardens, and plants are included in that. We are obviously constrained by what money is available.  Our pop-up gardens are built on a relatively low budget, but the advantage I have is that I have a very skilled team, which means we can do a lot of things in-house. For example, the hexagonal timber beds used in the Bee Garden were built on-site, so this saved us a lot of money. 

For bigger projects we have an excellent fundraising team who will help us fund projects. For example, the Prehistoric Garden was partly funded by Tesco’s Bags for Life scheme.

QK:  In addition to the flower-planted areas, the Horniman Gardens is home to an enormous number of mature and some newer trees which must need regular monitoring and appropriate care.  This is a very important legacy to have inherited.  How is this managed?

WS: We really love our trees, and the Horniman has a fantastic collection, but, as you say, many of them are mature and entering the later stages of their life so we have been really proactive at planting the ‘next generation’ that will continue the Horniman tree legacy.

We try and plant trees that are quite unusual and aren’t generally seen outside a botanic garden or arboretum. It is important to provide good aftercare especially through a hot dry summer, so you will regularly see my team out with a water bowser watering all the young trees and weeding tree circles to prevent competition from weeds and grass. 

All our trees are risk-assessed every two years by an independent tree expert, who gives me a prioritised list of works for our tree surgeon contractor to carry out. This keeps them safe and healthy.

QK:  Congratulations on creating an exciting educational and pleasure garden — an inspiration to us all!

25 August 2020

Children's Second-hand Book Sale

On Sunday 20th September we will be attending Horniman Farmers' Market with second-hand books for children. This is organised in conjunction with Forest Hill Library and Leaf and Groove bookshop and to raise money for the library. Actually, our main priority is not to raise money but to get more children reading books, particularly while access to the library is limited.

If you have books to donate please make sure that are donated to Leaf and Groove before 13th September so that all books can be quarantined for at least three days.

 

 

18 September 2019

First Lewisham Sketch Crawl

By Simon McCormack

Please come and join us on the first Lewisham Sketch Crawl, which will take place on Sunday 29th September 2019.

Meet at 10.45am at the Horniman Museum and Gardens Bandstand for an 11.00am start.

A sketch crawl consists of six to eight stops at a range of locations. At each location you get half an hour to complete a sketch, watercolour or pastel — it's up to you. All the locations are fairly close to each other. Each sketch crawl will have a designated starting point, but you can join or leave the sketch crawl at any point. We will also publish where we will be and at what time for each stop.

Bring a packed lunch or you can eat at a local café. There will be time at the end of the day to share your work, if you wish. All ages and abilities are welcome.

We will be organising future Sketch Crawls around Lewisham and South London, mainly during the spring, summer and autumn months.

Please join our Lewisham Sketchcrawlers Facebook group page for further details and updates at http://tiny.cc/n70jaz.

21 March 2019

Water Bottle-filling Fountain at the Horniman

By Brendan Cuddihy

You may have noticed something new at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in late 2018. The museum is one of twenty well-visited locations chosen by the Mayor of London for the first wave of new public water fountains that provide free access to healthy tap water for refilling water bottles. This is part of an effort to reduce the more than 20 million single-use plastic bottles that Londoners consume every week, many of which end up in landfill or polluting the environment.

We think this is a great initiative and would love to see more of these bottle-filling fountains around Forest Hill.

What do you think, and where would you like to see them located? Let us know in the comments

03 May 2017

Edible High Road - Plant Give Away

Saturday 6th May from 2pm

The Forest Hill Society will be giving away plants to anybody who wants to grow some vegetables or herbs. The plants have been grown by the Horniman as part of courses and are surplus to requirements so, for the third year in a row, we are delighted to be giving them to local residents and visitors.

We will be at Forest Hill station from 2pm-4pm this Saturday and all plants are free. All we ask is that you look after them and then eat them!

Get there early for the best selection.

10 November 2016

Horniman Butterfly House


Horniman Museum and Gardens have submitted an exciting planning application to build a Butterfly House in the gardens, replacing the park keeper's house at the top of the animal enclosure.

You can view the planning application on Lewisham's website and comment on the application.

We hope to bring you more information on this great new attraction in the new year.

15 May 2015

Pop-up Park Posionous to Pets

Pop-up gardens, musical vegetables and the most dangerous garden for cats and dogs – all this and more is on offer at the Horniman Museum and Gardens for the Chelsea Fringe festival.

The Forest Hill venue, which already boasts 16 acres of stunning Gardens, is switching up a horticultural gear for the festival, creating not one but three pop-up gardens. The stunning temporary displays include a botanical drawing recreated using more than 3,000 bedding plants (Anatomy of a Flower), a mass planting of sunflowers (Sunseekers) and a border designed as a banquet for bees, butterflies and other pollinating creatures (Planting for Pollinators). Themed around the Horniman’s indoor Plantastic exhibition and designed by Head of Horticulture Wes Shaw and his team, all three pop-up Gardens are free to visit and open on 30 May. 

Highlights of the Gardens Festival for families on Sunday 7 June include live music from the London Vegetable Orchestra, the chance to make your own carrot recorder or cucumber trumpet, and storytelling in the Gardens. Visitors can also enjoy a tour of the Horniman’s sundials, make a seed bomb, and create a sun-printed artwork using flowers, leaves and branches.

The Horniman is also hosting MORE TH>N who are creating a ‘dangerous garden’ full of plants and flowers that are all poisonous to pet cats and dogs, to raise awareness and encourage pet owners to be responsible at home. The world’s most dangerous garden for cats and dogs will contain all manner of plants and flowers from British gardens that are toxic to our furry friends. MORE TH>N’s garden is free to visit and is open to the public (no pets allowed in the garden, but can be left outside) from Thursday 4 June until Sunday 14 June.

11 June 2013

Farewell Gordon

It has come to our attention that Gordon Lucas is leaving the Horniman at the end of the week. According to the Friends of the Horniman,

Gordon Lucas, the Horniman Gardens' Manager, will be leaving his post on 14 June. He has been a staunch supporter of the Friends since he first came to the Horniman 15 years ago and will be much missed.

The annual Plant Sale and Art Exhibition are just two events for which his help has been invaluable, but especially the Plant Sale into which he has put so much time and effort. And let's not forget all the work the Garden team, led by Gordon, put into the re-design of the Gardens last year.

In recognition, therefore, of his many years of service to the Friends, a collection is being taken for a farewell gift. If you would like to make a contribution towards a leaving present for Gordon, please make a cheque payable to ‘The Friends of The Horniman’, with a note that it is for Gordon's farewell gift and send it to:

Ann Wallace,
Chair of the Friends of the Horniman,
Horniman Museum,
100 London Road,
Forest Hill. SE23 3UE.

We would like to echo those sentiments and wish Gordon and his family every success in the future. His warm smile and friendly welcome will be greatly missed.

If you would like to contribute, please deliver your cheque directly to the Horniman as above or click this button to send your donation via PayPal

12 March 2012

Exciting Times at the Horniman Gardens


Jenny Seymour, Development Officer at the Horniman Museum and Gardens, updates us on the redevelopment project.

The project is now in the final stages. New ramps and paving has improved access to the Sunken Garden, the bandstand has been restored to its elegant 1909 condition with new glass screens, and the Learning and Community building – the Gardens Pavilion - is complete.

We are now moving on to the planting stage and as the new areas take shape, we are able to offer items for 'naming' in return for a donation. You can donate a tree or picnic bench in memory of a loved one, in celebration of a marriage or simply to mark many happy years spent here!

There are a number of items and areas you can 'donate' (see the 'support us' section on www.horniman.ac.uk for the full list). Included in the cost of these items is a discreet plaque acknowledging your support.

There are 12 new picnic benches located on the Bandstand Terrace, costing £500 each. Eight plane trees are available on the Terrace, which will provide shade on hot summer days. They are £1200 each. A ‘Sound Corner‘ (see picture) beside the Bandstand Terrace features five sculptural musical instruments—costs to donate them is available on our website.

This is a wonderful way of helping, whilst you and your family enjoy a lasting record of your support. If interested, please speak to us at: 0208 291 8169 or development@horniman.ac.uk

15 August 2011

Forest Hill Society wins Funding from Ward Assembly

The Forest Hill Local Assembly yesterday voted to fund 13 projects across the ward and the Forest Hill Society was lucky enough to receive funding for all four of our proposals - totalling just under £19,000.

Two projects look to improve facilities in the Horniman Triangle play park with the addition of two new sets of equipment; Swings for young children and Games Tables for everyone.
The Games Tables will allow park users to play table tennis on sturdy outdoor tables. Similar tables are well used in Dulwich Park.

The two other projects look at improving the environment around the town centre. The first continues to flower planting that the Forest Hill Society started around the station and opposite Horniman Museum. The new funding will allow us to continue to maintain the flowers in these locations and expand the scheme to other locations in the town centre, as well as improving watering facilities at the station, to make maintenance easier.

The final project will target empty shop fronts in the town centre and use them to display large images from the Horniman collection, brightening up the town centre and providing a visual link between the town centre and the Horniman Museum.

20 July 2011

Act swiftly!

Work on the Horniman Gardens project began at the start of this year and although there has been a lot of disruption, great progress has been made. The £2.3 million project will improve access and repair tired infrastructure and facilities, install new facilities for the community, and help to unlock the educational potential of the Gardens and their links with the Museum's collections, by exciting new interpretation and planting schemes, and a purpose-built learning and community centre - now known as the Pavilion.

While most of the funding has been secured, the Horniman are still looking for further funds to complete the project. Joe Swift, garden designer, presenter of BBC TV's Gardener's World and Patron of the Horniman, has donated an hour's consultation to a charity auction. You can now bid online, but hurry as the auction closes at noon on Monday 25th July. They are hoping to raise £1000, so dig deep! All proceeds from the auction will go to the Horniman Gardens Appeal.

Please note that the consultation, which is for up to an hour, is limited to gardens within the M25 and must be taken by 31st July 2012.



To find out more about the progress of the project, click here.

15 May 2010

Local Plant Sales

It's that time of year again when all those gardeners who failed to plant their seeds in time can buy ready grown plants from the Friends of the Horniman and .


The annual Book and Plant Fair is being held at the Horniman today from 11am to 3pm

Sydenham Garden, an award-winning community garden on your doorstep, and are launching a new garden stall! The stall will be open every Wednesday from 19th May 2010 until the end of September. All proceeds from stall sales will go to the charity to support their work in the community.

Why not pop down, spend some time enjoying their garden oasis and pick up something fabulous at the same time! They will be selling

  • Plants grown in their garden
  • Home-made jams & chutneys
  • Hand-made cards
  • Arts and crafts
  • Fresh, locally grown produce

The entrance to the garden and stall is via a wooden gate in Holland Drive, SE23. A map is available on their website.

Fundraising Dinner

Sydenham Garden and Ponte Nuovo (in Crystal Palace) would like to invite you to join them for an evening of fine dining, entertainment and great company on 16 June 2010 at 7.30pm

You'll meet lots of interesting new people, including many of their regular supporters, volunteers and staff. You'll also get to enjoy Ponte Nuovo's wonderful culinary delights in a spacious, modern Italian restaurant.

Tickets are available in advance at £25 each. The ticket price includes a fabulous two-course meal and a complimentary glass of wine. All proceeds raised on the night will go directly to supporting the charity's work.

They are busy planning some fun activities for the evening, so do make sure you book your ticket in advance as places are limited (only 100 tickets available). Book your ticket via the Sydenham Garden website

12 May 2010

May eNewsletter

GENERAL MEETING
Forest Hill Society’s next General Meeting will be on Thursday June 10th at the Hob, opposite Forest Hill Station. We’ll be getting an update from the Horniman Museum on their plans for the gardens then we’ll move on to Society business and an informal discussion of the key issues facing SE23. We look forward to seeing many of you there.


FOREST HILL STATION
Following the cosmetic upgrading of Forest Hill Station, the Society initiated contact between the station’s Delivery Manager, Alan Jessop-Peacock, and Shannon’s Garden Centre with a view to removing the plastic flowers and greening up the station. It has now been agreed that Shannon’s will plant up and maintain tubs of real plants on the platforms, once the station has supplied the containers. Meanwhile, the tubs either side of the station’s main entrance will be given new plants donated by Shannon’s. We hope the floral results will put a smile on your faces as you run for your trains.

EAST LONDON LINE
Trains start running on Sunday, May 23rd. There is a rumour (from TfL) that they will be giving away 10,000 free tickets on a first come/first served basis. If these plans go ahead, the tickets will be distributed across the ELL stations according to “ridership patterns.” Those with Annual/Monthly/Weekly travel cards will be able to collect a souvenir ticket, rather than a free ticket.

23 CLUB DOES THE EAST LONDON LINE
If you’d like to celebrate the ELL’s first operating day, then do join the 23 Club on Sunday, May 23rd as we ride the rails.

The plan is to meet on Platform One at 14:00 and catch the 14:11 from Forest Hill Station with Sydenham Society, enjoying their theatre performance on the way. They will be going to Dalston and back. But the 23 Club would like to recommend getting off at Hoxton Station at 14:36 for a visit to the fabulous Geffrye Museum (www.geffrye-museum.org.uk). Opening hours on Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays are 12 - 5pm. Admission to the museum's eleven period rooms, special exhibitions and herb and period gardens is free. The restored historic almshouse, in the south wing of the museum buildings, will not be open.

09 October 2009

Horniman Gardens Redevelopment

Below is the Forest Hill Society response to the planning application submitted by Horniman Gardens:

Members of the executive committee of the Forest Hill Society met with representatives from the Horniman to discuss their plans. As a result we would like to provide some feedback on the planning application.

We generally welcome the the planning application for Horniman Gardens which will improve many aspects of the gardens. The changes to the bandstand and the surrounding area will substantially improve the views across London which make the gardens so special. The improved access and integration of the animal enclosure will also enhance the gardens particularly for visitors with young children.

However there are some comments that we would like to make that may further improve the plans for redeveloping the gardens.

1. The positioning of the new community education building appears to leave a narrow path to the west which leads to the entrance to the animal enclosure and to the meadow field. Due to the topography of the area and the trees and shrubbery this narrow path may look as if it goes nowhere, despite being a major route around the park. This could present some safety and security concerns, as well as obscuring the entrance to the enhanced animal enclosure. We would recommend adjusting the positioning of the education building so that it is slightly higher up the hill (to the east), leaving more space for this path.


2. The sunken garden is an important feature of the park and is enjoyed by older members of the community, who are able to sit on the many benches available and enjoy the flowers. It is important to continue to provide a bright, well planted, space in this section of the park that can be enjoyed throughout the spring and summer. A water feature in the centre of the sunken garden is most welcome but should not be to the detriment of the high quality planting that has long been a feature of the gardens.


3. There are some concerns about the number of trees and lampposts positioned around the bandstand which may obstruct views of the bandstands from the avenue leading from the museum and London Road, the trees may also limit the views of the bandstand during concerts. Some trees in this space will help break up the large empty space, but putting lamppost between them seems to turn the area into an obstacle course. A better solution would be to provide lighting incorporated into the branches of the trees together with less obtrusive lighting around the edges of the area.

We hope that Lewisham planning department, together with the Horniman Gardens, can consider these issues and whether the implementation of this development may be further improved in line with our suggestions. Subject to these points, we recommend that the planning department approve this planning application and we wish the Horniman great success in raising funds to make these enhancements to the gardens, which are well loved by all in Forest Hill.