Japanese Garden Gets Annual Clean-Up

Japanese Garden Annual Clean-Up

On October 10th the Japanese Garden got its annual clean-up, organised by the Friends of the Japanese Garden, led by John Gordon-Smith, assisted by the Nippon Club.

More than 60 volunteers turned up to help clean the pond, trim back the shrubs, and generally tidy up. 

Here at the Shepherd's Bush Blog we warmly thank the volunteers who regularly give up their time to maintain and preserve the Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park.

The Japanese Garden

Volunteers at work

The Japanese Garden is a distinctive local landmark and a legacy of the Japan-British Exhibition of 1908, part of the original Great White City Exhibition.  

Annual Clean-Up

On October 10th John and his fellow volunteers were once again cleaning out the pond in the Japanese Garden, giving up their time to clear the water of pondweed and algae.  

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 event has become a regular one, helping to maintain the beauty of the garden.

No 9 in the ES "Tranquility Index"

Hammersmith Park has benefited from a number of 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 2020, Hammersmith Park ranked No. 9 in a new "tranquillity index" of quiet spots in London.

Skimmer Needed

Volunteers at work

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 was done earlier this year, but sadly the skimmer was almost immediately vandalised, and has yet to be repaired.

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.