Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies

Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies
Warrior Square gardens in Southend have newly reopened following a new design by Gillespies.  Situated in the heart of its shops and public amenities – the regeneration of this key public space is a cornerstone in the town’s revival.  The space now offers a vibrant green space in what had previously been a neglected late-Victorian square, which had become a haven for anti-social behaviour.

From the outset, Gillespies responded to the structure of the historical layout, recomposing the familiar elements of an English Garden Square, with lawn, planting beds, seating, lighting, a focal point and boundaries, but for contemporary use.

Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies
Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies
The new layout is carefully structured around some of the finest trees in Southend, with perimeter walks and views celebrating this dominant line of original lime trees as well as majestic Pine and Cedar trees.

Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies
Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies

In keeping with the square’s late-Victorian origins, Gillespies also sought to capture the essence of Southend’s seaside spectacle and promenade – so the edge of the Gardens offers areas for street performers and gathering whilst at its heart there is a simple and flexible open lawn.

Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies

A clear threshold around the garden has been retained, replacing the old overgrown borders with a multi-functional frame around the Gardens, marking the extent of the green space.  This offers a new expansive entrance square, an elevated limewalk along the northern edge of the Gardens with long feature benches and a floral walk to the south.

The bespoke detailing of the bench ends was created though shot peening and laser etching to create a distinctive natural reference and park motif to the Lime trees overhead.
Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies
Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies
Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies
In order to promote external events and extend the use of the Gardens in to the evening, a series of ducts and power points have been located beneath the timber decking to provide discrete flexibility to support community uses.  Inbuilt power and projection provision has also been hidden within the street furniture to enable outdoor events such as markets along the Limewalk and community events either on the central lawn or on the entrance square.

Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies
Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies

As a public garden is was essential that access, safety and comfort for all was established and the final design includes features such as localised dropped kerbs to facilitate wheeled links from the limewalk.  The timber benches are warm to the touch with regular armrests, and many other DDA-compliant design features have been incorporated.

The simple open lawn surrounded by active edges for al fresco dining, seating and strolling once again places Warrior Square Gardens at the centre of town life. In the spirit of Southend’s heyday, residents and tourists to the town now have an invitation to walk in the middle of a traditional English floral border, stroll along the Gardens’ limewalk beneath a canopy of majestic Lime trees and picnic on the lawn.

Warrior Square gardens | Southend-on-Sea Essex UK | Gillespies

The new design recreates this key public space as a destination in its own right.

Project Team:

Landscape architect: Gillespies

Client:  Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, Renaissance Southend.

Location: Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK

Size (area): 100m x 30m

Completion: 2011

Photographer (Photograph Copyright): Colin Philp

Other Design Team Members:
Structural Engineers: JMP
Architects of Café building: Magma
M&E consultant:  Royal Haskoning
Quantity surveyor: Northcroft
Lighting consultant:  Pinniger and Partners
Planting design: Growth Industry
Planning supervisor: Urban Practitioners
Main contractor: Jackson Civil Engineering Ltd
Funding: HCA

Total cost:   £1.5 million

About Damian Holmes 3253 Articles
Damian Holmes is the Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture (WLA). He is a registered landscape architect (AILA) working in international design practice in Australia. Damian founded WLA in 2007 to provide a website for landscape architects written by landscape architects. Connect on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianholmes/