Fanny Wilkinson honoured with statue
A new statue of pioneering landscape designer Fanny Wilkinson has been installed on a historic 1904 water fountain in Coronation Gardens. Unveiled on 3rd July, the statue completes the restoration of the long-dormant water fountain, bringing it back to life as a centrepiece for the gardens.
The new statue honours Fanny Wilkinson, the first professional female landscape designer in Britain. Fanny was responsible for the design and layout of more than 75 public gardens across London, including Coronation Gardens. The statue was chosen through a design competition in partnership with the Putney School of Art and Design and has been professionally created following a community-led project with the Heritage of London Trust (HOLT), a charity dedicated to the restoration of historic buildings and monuments, Friends of Coronation Gardens, Enable and Wandsworth Council.
Coronations Gardens is a historic park in Southfields and has recently benefitted from large-scale improvements which included a repair of the water fountain and a renovated playground. The fountain was originally installed in 1904 and has now been restored thanks to partial funding from the council. A figurine above the bowl formed part of the original design and can be seen in photos from the early 1900s. It is this lost figure that Gillian Brett’s design aims to replace.
Coronation Gardens dates back to 1902 and commemorates the coronation of King Edward VII in August 1902. It was donated to the people of Wandsworth by Sir William Lancaster, a businessman, philanthropist and politician who served as the second Mayor of Wandsworth between 1901 and 1902 and who also co-founded the Putney School of Art and Design. Today, the gardens remain a much-loved green space in the heart of Southfields, valued for its peaceful atmosphere, community events, and connection to local heritage.
For more information, email parks@enablelc.org. You can also join the Friends of Coronation Gardens via their website.
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