John Gordon-Smith Leads Hammersmith Park Cleanup

John Gordon-Smith leads the cleanup on Sunday

John Gordon-Smith is one of the unsung heroes of our neighbourhood, a local volunteer who regularly gives up his time to maintain and preserve the Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park.

The Japanese Garden is one of our most distinctive local landmarks and a legacy of the Japan-British Exhibition of 1908, part of the original Great White City exhibition.

Yesterday John and his fellow volunteers were once again cleaning out the pond in the Japanese Garden, giving up their Sunday to clear the water of pondweed and algae. 

John was assisted by Mick, the park gardener and a number of other local volunteers including Richard, a gardener from Kew Gardens, who all worked hard to help restore the garden.  Many thanks to all of them for their hard work and dedication.

Hammersmith Park

Hammersmith Park

The waterfalls in the Japanese Garden have recently been fixed by our local Council, and the volunteers spent their time clearing the streams and pond of algae and duckweed.  The has become a monthly regular cleanup, helping to maintain the beauty of the garden.

Hammersmith Park has benefited from some upgrades in recent years, including a new children's playground and new Japanese stone lanterns. According to an article in the Evening Standard in January, Hammersmith Park ranked No9 in a new "tranquillity index" of quiet spots in London.

Skimmer Needed

Volunteers at work on Sunday

The solution (or partial solution) to the problem of duckweed and algae bloom is for our council to install a skimmer to keep the water moving. This is something that was promised by LBHF to the Friend of the Japanese Garden some years ago, but has not yet been installed.

Thanks to the volunteers

Many, many thanks to all the volunteers who worked unpaid to make the cleanup happen.  Next time you are strolling through our beautiful local park, spare a thought for all the hard work that goes into keeping it well maintained and pristine. 

The Shepherd's Bush Blog offers a personal view on life in Shepherd's Bush. If you would like to contribute a story about our neighbourhood, email us at shepherdsbushblog(at)gmail.com.