THE GARDEN
A Green Space
The church and vicarage are located in the densely built-up area of South Tottenham and Stamford Hill. We have thought carefully about how we can contribute positively to our neighbourhood where open spaces for few and the chance for trees to mature are very limited. Trees and shrubs contribute to our well-being, support biodiversity and wildlife and mitigate some of the impact of carbon and pollutants.
The oldest tree on the site dates back about 200 years – a pear tree from the time of orchards and market gardens on Stamford Hill. In 1910 a yew tree was planted next to the church to mark the accession of King George V – yew trees can live for a 1000 years and more, so it’s still a baby. They were traditionally planted in churchyards as the timber was used for making the English longbow in medieval times, but the berries are poisonous, and the trees needed to be away from livestock.
To mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 we were given a sapling grown from an acorn of King Offa’s Oak in Windsor Great Park. This was an initiative by Her Majesty to plant oak trees across Crown lands.
Local legend tells that the infamous highwaymen Dick Turpin and Tom King made a secret pact in a wood not far from the Stamford Hill turnpike. The vicarage garden contains a stretch of hedgerow from our agricultural past and we have replanted a dozen native British trees to rewild the area next to the old hedge.
2014
2019
During a pilgrimage in 2012 to the shrine of St Gerlach near Maastricht in The Netherlands we gathered an acorn and some sacred sand. St Gerlach (c.1100 – c1170) was a hermit who made his home in the hollow of an oak tree. He lived a simple life of piety, penance and cared for sick animals. His feast day is 5th January. His oak tree growing at the church reminds us, even in the rush and busyness of the city, to pause and pray and give God thanks for His creation and our duty to care as good stewards like St Gerlach.
2017 Planted on
St Gerlach’s Day
2019
St Gerlach’s Day 2020.
Summer 2024
Running along the front of the church on the street side we maintain a garden that in a smaller green space but one that gets community use. We are grateful for the support of the Hackney Parochial Charities that helps maintain this green space, which provides an area of re-creation and in quiet times, of rest.
Church garden with seating area