Clare was born next to a garden square in London. Throughout her life, Clare has been drawn to them. Their railings hold the memories and experiences of both the people who live around its boundaries and all who walk through its gates.
They stand as markers of the city’s history. Many garden squares only became open to the public after the Second World War. After the railings had been taken down for salvage to aid the RAF, all could escape into and enjoy the squares. After the war when the railings were put up again they did not return to being private gardens. They are irreversibly public spaces for the use of us all.
—
thepointofzero + Clare Summerfield
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London’s greatest public treasure
After pouring over many old maps of London, Clare became fascinated by the shape of the squares. The Great Fire of London in 1666 altered the very shape of many with the sheer force of the blaze.
Filled with intrigue and stories
Clare began to walk each square and drew the boundaries of each square to scale with one another. While doing this I realised that none of them are square.
