Sir John McDougall Gardens

Sir John McDougall Gardens is a grassed and wooded area along the River Thames on the Isle of Dogs in London, England. It houses a playground, an outdoor gym and a Thames-side path. It covers just over 6 acres (2.4 ha), between the River Thames and Westferry Road.[1]

A view of the Sir John McDougall Gardens from the busy Westferry Road towards the river embankment. (2013)

The park is named after Sir John McDougall, a local member of the London County Council (LCC) in the 1900s. He was a flour miller and owned a nearby mill,[2] the Wheatsheaf Mill,[3] demolished in 1980.

Sir John McDougall Gardens was opened in 1968, on a site left in ruins by the bombing of Docklands in World War II. Local children were involved in the original planting of trees. A footbridge across Westferry Road was completed in 1969 to link it directly to the large Barkantine Estate of social housing.[1]

The park was re-modelled in the 1980s by the London Docklands Development Corporation when the ground level was bought up to the top of the river wall to allow a view of the River Thames.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Northern Millwall: The Mellish estate in Northern Millwall | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  2. ^ "Sir John McDougall Gardens". London Gardens Trust. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  3. ^ "McDougalls". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  4. ^ "Sir John McDougall Gardens". Tower Hamlets. Retrieved 1 August 2023.

51°29′49″N 0°01′36″W / 51.49694°N 0.02667°W / 51.49694; -0.02667