I remember the first time I visited the park, about 6 months after moving to the country - I was taken by the mystery of the park. Now that I’m in the park everyday, it’s been exciting to hunt around and look at the park in detail, and see how it changes with the seasons.
You are a recent graduate - what did you study and how does your degree connect with the work you're currently doing here?
I graduated July 2024 with a BA (Hons) in landscape architecture. For anyone unfamiliar with the field, I like to say we design everything except buildings. It’s a hugely diverse subject, and during my studio projects I was encouraged to follow my interests. I explored themes of how plants can reclaim overly paved areas, how we decide what to preserve in historic landscapes, or finding ways to facilitate community activities, without having a designer’s voice dominating the conversation.
Here at Crystal Palace Park Trust, I am continuing to build on those ideas. I joined the newly expanded communications team, supporting the delivery of the park’s regeneration projects and working closely with all the teams at the Trust, as well as contractors and partners. Part of my job is to help the team communicate the story of the park as it unfolds, with everyone who uses the park. I am working on capturing the park’s constant movement, from the new spaces created by the regeneration projects to the seasonal cycle of plants and animals in the park.
Is there a part of the regeneration work you are most excited about right now?
I’m most excited about the current work being done to the historical structures in the park. It’s a huge undertaking to assess and fix the dinosaurs, terraces, and statues, and I can’t wait to see them all cleaned and looking like themselves again! I’m really interested in the feelings or vibes that a landscape elicits in people, and I’ll be very curious to see how people engage with these structures differently once you can see the intricacies that were always there, just hidden under the lichen and moss. Academically, it’s been really fun to learn about how the dinosaurs were constructed and which parts weathered better than others. I think Benjamin Hawkins and Paxton would be surprised and delighted that the park and structures have endured for almost 200 years.
What's the most surprising thing you learnt about the park’s history, wildlife, or design since you started?
It’s been fun to dig into the varied and colourful history of this park! I remember the first time I visited the park, about 6 months after moving to the country - I was taken by the mystery of the park. Now that I’m in the park everyday, it’s been exciting to hunt around and look at the park in detail, and see how it changes with the seasons. It feels like I’m doing a site survey everyday, noticing posts from old self-led trails, different species of trees, bases of old structures, and watching how people move through and use the space. Every day I’m learning something new about a phase in the park’s history, like the flamingos that used to live in an old fountain!
