A little-known public garden in central London, passed by thousands of people every day, remains almost always empty. London blogger Ian Mansfield has revealed the story behind this hidden open space, tucked behind the Southbank Centre.
The Garden's Origin
The compact green space was created as part of the 1990s redevelopment of the former Downstream Building of the Shell Centre into residential flats, now known as the Whitehouse Apartments. Despite its prominent location, it remains largely deserted.
Ian Mansfield drew attention to the situation on X (formerly Twitter), sharing photographs of the modest gate and narrow entrance. He wrote: 'Exercising my right to enter the Whitehouse Garden behind the Southbank which the owners would rather you didn't, but have to allow it as a planning condition.'
Public Access Conditions
A plaque at the gate states: 'Private access is permitted to part of the garden by members of the public daily between dawn and dusk. The owners have the right to exclude members of the public in the event of unreasonable or unruly behaviour or a problem with security. This is pursuant to an agreement with Lambeth Council under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.'
Section 106 is a provision in major planning applications that obliges developers to deliver amenities like parks or contribute funds locally. Developers can even be mandated to build schools or GP surgeries, reports MyLondon.
Challenges to Enjoyment
On his website IanVisits, Mansfield noted: 'It's not that the owners go to a lot of effort to make it welcoming, with no seating, lots of locked gates and warning notices that it's private.' He added: 'I say it's open to the public, I've never seen anyone using it, and once I became aware that it's supposed to be open to the public, checked a few times only to see the gates locked each time.'
Photographs show a substantial paved space with large circular grass sections and a non-functioning fountain. The only accessible entrance is on the northern side.
Public Reaction
Users on X were fascinated. One commented: 'This is a really interesting and useful post, thank you.' Another asked: 'Is it always locked and you have to ask permission? Never seen that round there will deffo have to check it out next time!'
On Instagram, one user said: 'It is not especially beautiful, but important that we exercise our right to visit.' Another added: 'Wow they really try hard to put you off!!' A further user wrote: 'I often wonder what the point is of that garden. It's unattractive, and anyway the fences make it impossible to see in. It's such a wasted space.'
Meanwhile, on Facebook, a contributor recalled: 'I used to live there and on my first day I looked out at the garden and saw a naked man jumping around in the fountain. Great place.'
