Wandsworth Council is investing in repowering the Victorian waterfalls at Battersea Park with clean energy, and support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The project aims to fully restore the park’s Pulhamite Rockery and Cascades by repairing damage, reinstating power supplies, and reinvigorating heritage planting.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded development funding of £654,757 to help Wandsworth Council apply for a grant of £2,714,457 to complete the restoration.
Battersea Park is a flagship green space and a popular destination for tourists and local people. However, the water feature that cascaded into the park’s 10-acre boating lake, once a spectacle to be viewed from many perspectives, hasn’t been fully operational in almost 100 years. The “Pulhamite Rockery and Cascades” are a rare collection of artificial rocks built in 1865 and designed by prominent garden landscaper James Pulham II. It was his first composition in a public London park, mimicking his work using his proprietary cement known as Pulhamite in royal and private gardens.
The preparations for large-scale capital works provide an opportunity to engage with local communities, celebrate shared history and co-create a management and maintenance vision for the park that is fit for the future. The project’s themes around protecting natural heritage, exploring renewable energy options for artificially running water, and better identifying and talking about the unique heritage and its benefits available to us lend themselves well to opportunities for wide-scale education and volunteering opportunities.
The Heritage Fund project will gather experts to repair damaged rockwork, install modern water and power systems, and create lakeside habitats that combat climate and ecological crises.
Sustainability and protecting the natural environment will be embedded throughout the project, providing us with options for exploring renewable sources of energy to power the cascades long term. Accessibility will be addressed, whilst skills development and job opportunities in heritage and parks management will be considered at every stage of the project.
Cllr Judi Gasser, Wandsworth Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said:
“We are delighted to have received this initial investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to money raised, we can now develop our plans alongside the community to get the historic cascades in Battersea Park running for the first time in over 50 years. As London Borough of Culture for 2025, we are excited to explore new ways of powering key features in the park, engaging local people and safeguarding this unique waterfall for generations to come.”
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