The Artist’s Garden: the transformation of Temple Station's roof terrace

Holly Hendry's 'Slackwater' is the latest art installation to appear in the Artist's Garden on the roof of Temple Station.

Image: Holly Hendry's 'Slackwater' Artist Roof Garden. July 2023.  © MTotoe 

Holly Hendry's art installation, Slackwater, takes centre stage in the Artist's Garden by Temple tube station. The installation features a maze of intricately entangled tubes, constructed with industrial-scale ducting, electricity spools, and inflated boat fenders. Representing the area's watery history and the abstract rhythms of the Thames and the human body, this large-scale sculpture will be on display on the rooftop site until September 2024. 

Hendry's debut public commission, aims to unite the rhythms of the city's subterranean, bodily, and narrative flows, creating a dynamic and visual installation. The project by theCoLAB, in partnership with Westminster Council, continues their commitment to commissioning innovative contemporary installations by female artists, adding a unique and intriguing addition to the city's artistic landscape.

Image: Holly Hendry's 'Slackwater' Artist Roof Garden. July 2023.  © MTotoe 

The Artist's Garden is a hidden gem, transforming a 1400sqm rooftop terrace above Temple station into a vibrant hub for large-scale artistic interventions. This historic site, originally part of Sir Joseph Bazalgette's engineering feat to save London from the 'Great Stink' and cholera, dates back to 1870 and was once Lord and Lady Arundel's seventeenth-century garden, featuring England's first classical sculpture collection. Now, after over a century of neglect, the garden has come to life as an artist haven, a perfect location for a lunch break stroll or a catch-up with mates while observing the great art installation. 

Image: View of Lakwena Maciver’s Back in the Air: A Meditation on Higher Ground. October 2021. Photo by David Parry/PA Wire

TheCoLAB's inaugural exhibition in October 2021, Back in the Air: A Meditation on Higher Ground by Lakwena Maciver, breathed new life into this previously overlooked space, infusing it with vibrant colours, geometric forms, and a message of unity.

Image: The Artist's Garden entrance. July 2023. © MTotoe 

The rooftop garden is an oasis amid the bustling city - definitely a location to add to your list of must-see art spaces in London!

Location: The Artist's Garden Temple Station Roof Terrace, London WC2R 2PH. Opening hours: 6am - 8pm. Website: thecolab.art. Instagram: @thecolab.art