This project was driven by two conclusive factors: the lack of any greenery or trees in the street below the terrace, and the clients’ appreciation of nature in their country garden. Nestled above the busy junction of Old Street & Goswell Road in Clerkenwell EC1, the roof garden is oblong at 20-metre length x 3 metres depth. We created a sister rooftop on the top level of this duplex penthouse flat to grow fruit & veg. To balance this elongation, we designed a trio of discrete areas defined by surface changes from hardwood to stone then grass. Each zone features a distinct planting style: the deck: shrubs, stone: herbs and grass: native trees.
Project Name: Clerkenwell Roof Garden
Studio Name: Mylandscapes LTD
With 70 plant species, biodiversity is expansive in this roof garden. The photos by Marianne Majerus were taken 3 months after planting, demonstrating high pollinator activity, with many honey and bumble bees enjoying the nectar-rich flowers.
The upper terrace features a viewing stepped podium to see views of Old Bailey, Barbican, Shard & St Paul’s. This rooftop is a fruit & veg kitchen garden, where Fig, Apple, Grapevine, Rhubarb and Lemon are cultivated.
Viewed via floor-to-ceiling glass of an open-plan kitchen, the roof garden is an integral part of our clients’ city lifestyle, producing a bounty of flowers in a long bloom period. This indoor-outdoor exchange benefits from the herb garden with Thyme, Oregano, Chamomile & Rosemary.
Selected species include: Achillea, Alcea, Angelica, Buddleja, Centranthus, Cotoneaster, Crataegus, Digitalis, Dipsacus, Echinacea, Erysmium, Euonymus, Frangula, Lavandula, Lavatera, Lonicera, Papaver, Perosvkia, Phlomis, Pimpinella, Rhamnus, Slavia & Vitex.
The main focal point of the roof garden is the native Euonymus europaeus ‘Red Cascade’ (Spindle) with its intense autumn colour and unusual red berries, benefiting wildlife & featured in a custom white circular planter.
All the planters are bespoke & powder-coated, with room for plants to thrive for years. The planter permanence, natural materials, peat-free soil, biodiverse planting and sympathetic ethical organic upkeep make this Clerkenwell roof garden design a wholly sustainable urban eyrie for an equilibrium between users & Mother Nature.
