Wood Green Gardens, circa 1915

Comment by Liz on September 27, 2016 at 13:18

Interestingly these gardens have a name ( so I realised when I was looking for something else the other day). They are called

Crescent Gardens and King George VI Memorial Garden

Crescent Gardens were laid out on former rural open space, and by 1894 there were curving paths in the north part, and by 1910 the whole was laid out with serpentine paths, trees, shrubberies and formal bedding. The WWI war memorial on High Road was in place pre-1935. The south end of the gardens was renamed King George VI Memorial Garden and opened on 25 April 1953, laid out with shrub beds behind stone retaining walls, seating and a small circular rose bed in the centre.

...Photographs of the gardens in the 1950s show flamboyant carpet bedding. The striking Portland stone war memorial on High Road was erected in memory of 'the men of Wood Green who gave their lives in the Great War, 1914-18'.

In 1952, the south end of the gardens were laid out and named King George VI Memorial Garden, provided by public subscription and opened on 25 April 1953 by the Mayor of Wood Green, Alderman A R Harrison JP, as recorded in the plaque on site. It was laid out with shrub beds behind low stone retaining walls, seating and a small circular rose bed in the centre; trees and shrubs were donated by schools in Wood Green.

Comment by Jeremyb on September 30, 2016 at 0:28

The building in the background in the centre- the Assembly Rooms-was where the first "moving pictures" i.e. films- were shown in the area, in March 1899.  Still there today as part of Grand Palace pub/banquet suite.

Comment by Hugh on February 5, 2018 at 18:18

The building on the left of the picture was, I've just discovered, the Kings Arms. I've just added a couple of pictures here. The Assembly Rooms behind it were a part of he pub.

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