Old Quebec Street

Description of Works
Working closely with Westminster City Council (WCC), the New West End Company (NWEC) and The Portman Estate, alongside the Baker Street Quarter Partnership and the Marble Arch Business Improvement District (BID), FM Conway was appointed to install the Wild West End Garden along Old Quebec Street in Marylebone. Created by renowned designer, Kate Gould, the garden was exhibited at the 2018 RHS Chelsea Flower Show where it scooped a coveted Gold Medal under the ‘Space to Grow’.

The garden was sponsored by the Sir Simon Milton Foundation, NWEC, The Portman Estate and Wild West End, with the intention that after the show, it could be moved to London’s West End to improve air quality and provide a rich habitat for wildlife, and a peaceful area for local residents, businesses and visitors.

Services used on this project Structures Traffic Management Highways Maintenance

Delivering Innovation

FM Conway worked closely with the project partners to advise on design changes and installation requirements, drawing on the expertise of its in-house structures team.

Jason Critchell, Works Manager at FM Conway, explains:
“We used our knowledge of delivering other public realm installations in the City of Westminster, like the new Chinatown gate, to advise on the best approach. We reviewed material choices for the garden, switching products for more resilient ones which could also be more easily maintained and cleaned. For example, we reconstructed the garden using marine ply, which provides better moisture resistance, in place of the standard ply originally specified within the design.”

A major part of the process involved constructing a sturdy central structure for the garden’s main pagoda. Jason and his team worked with streetscape architects Project Centre to coordinate the fabrication of a new steel framework off-site. This was then welded together by the team in situ on the street.

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Our Traffic Management division supported the project while the works were ongoing, making sure that pedestrians and other road users were segregated to keep them safe.

Jason Critchell - Works Manager at FM Conway

Outcome

Alan Kraven, FM Conway’s Service Development Manager, explains: “We wanted to help bring a taste of the flower show to the West End. Our role was to re-create the garden on Old Quebec Street, making it fit for public use, where it will be in place for 18 months as part of ongoing efforts to provide more green space in the area through the Wild West End scheme.”

Steve Wong, Placemaking Manager at NWEC, commented: “This project wasn’t a simple case of shifting an existing garden from Chelsea Flower Show. Much of the garden was indeed delivered to site, but needed to be completely reconfigured with a mix of newly fabricated parts and materials sourced from FM Conway or local suppliers. The FM Conway structures team were wonderfully astute at meeting this small but challenging build, working right up to the night before opening to get the project completed.”

Catherine Brice, Highways and Public Realm Programme Manager at WCC, added: “Visitors and local residents can now enjoy the outdoor space that the garden area offers. Carefully chosen plants bring environmental benefits which help to remove pollution alongside encouraging biodiversity."