Ten years ago, Claire Mander discovered a neglected roof terrace at Temple underground station in London. Now, the world's first and only public sculpture garden devoted to female artists faces eviction. Places for London, Transport for London's property arm, has informed theColab that their licence to occupy the site will not be renewed on 1 October, and the garden must be cleared.
From abandoned terrace to landmark garden
Mander, director and curator of theColab, an arts charity, recalls the terrace as "dirty, abandoned and a magnet for antisocial behaviour." Built as part of the Victoria Embankment in 1870, the site once housed a 17th-century sculpture garden created by the Countess of Arundel. This inspired Mander to create a women's sculpture garden to address gender disparity in public art.
A survey by Art UK revealed that of almost 1,500 monuments in London, more than a fifth were dedicated to named men, only 4% to women, and half as many as those celebrating animals. Only 13% of public sculptures were created by women. With funding from donations and over £500,000 from Westminster council, the Artist's Garden opened in October 2021. Since then, it has attracted 100,000 visitors annually, commissioned 18 major works, and collaborated with 24 artists.
Dispute over repairs and future plans
A Places for London spokesperson said: "The terrace and station roof may now require essential repair and safety works, and the space needs to be cleared for the assessment of the extent of the works required." They added that they are working with Westminster council and local stakeholders to explore alternative locations, and the space will remain publicly accessible.
Mander disputes this, stating the repairs relate to upgrading commercial property below the terrace, not the roof. She believes the space risks being handed to a private developer. "It's a prime location with incredible views of the river, ideal for VIP events selling overpriced cocktails," she said. "Their perception seems to be that we're a small, pathetic female-led charity that's doing some sort of nice little sculptural things. But we are prepared to take this to court if it comes to it."
Cultural and economic value
Alexandra Hodby, head of programmes at Yorkshire Sculpture Park and a trustee, said such spaces are of vital cultural and economic value. "Look at the High Line in New York. It wasn't even a public space, then it was made public through art. Artists activated it. Now it's one of the most visited places in the city." She added that sculpture engages the public in a way gallery art cannot. "There's an immediacy about it, there's no separation between the work and the world."
On a visit during a heatwave, office workers, builders, and tourists thronged the space. A toddler crawled towards Adeline de Monseignat's pebbled Croissant, while people posed for selfies beside Alice Wilson's Savoy, a giant forest of technicolor timbers.
Artists speak out
Lakwena Maciver, who created the opening exhibit, a kaleidoscopic mural titled Back in the Air: A Meditation on Higher Ground, said the site holds emotional significance. "When I was a teenager, we would get the train up to town and I remember sitting in Embankment Gardens eating Skittles with my sister. I'd be thinking about my future but also feeling that, as a minority, London didn't belong to me. To be asked to do the mural was very special because I was being invited to contribute something so monumental. It was like, I do belong!"
Artist Florence Peake, who created work for the current show, said, "It's rare these days in London to find a public space that is free and doesn't have a commercial agenda. It's a place to reflect, take a breath and be with artworks that may draw you in." She added that the garden shows women can make large-scale work. "A man comes along and says 'I want to build a big steel thing sticking 18 metres up in the air' and he's hailed as a genius. A woman suggesting the same thing, there are anxious sideways glances."
Feminist artist Linder Sterling, whose photomontage wraparound the artist's hut, said, "The Artist's Garden is situated in Temple, once the province of the Knights Templar. It seems that women have to become warriors now and defend our right to take up space there." Her work features the phrase 'She Is Here', which she said has become a rallying cry: "Now that the site is under threat, She Is Here has become a rallying cry - we're not going anywhere."
