Tuesday 10 May: The Olden Garden, Whistler Street, Highbury N5 1NH

On Tuesday May 10 we will be visiting the Olden Community Garden in Highbury, where we have been kindly given permission to come and sketch.   This is a real secret garden entered from a door in a high wall (opposite Number 22 Whistler Street). The Garden is a long strip alongside one of Islington's many railway lines, sloping downwards to the tracks and facing more or less westerly.  Hidden from the charming Whistler Street by the wall, there is a lawn, much planting, a summer house, pergola arches, lots of small vegetable patches, fruit trees, small terraced paths, greenhouse/s, and a woodland area.   The Garden will be gorgeous in May, with hopefully lots of glancing sunshine through the trees.   There will also be figure drawing possibilities as that day the volunteer gardeners will be in operation.   More details can be found here:

There is also  a loo, and a community room.  Artists' lunch must be brought in advance as we will stay there for the day.  (There is a Tesco Express at 71 Drayton Park, according to the internet, if anyone forgets.) The Garden closes at 4 pm.   We are sure that donations will be appreciated.

We will meet at 11 o'clock inside the Garden, the gate will be unlocked. 

The Garden is close to Drayton Park train station and the more widely known Emirates football stadium.  If you look at the map, you will see the railway line running south from Drayton Park station and just beside the word Park, you will see Whistler Street, which is a sort of triangle, very small in actuality.  The Garden is the sliver beside the railway track.  A better map can be found here:      The nearest Tube stations are Arsenal and Highbury and Islington, both 10 - 20 minutes' walk away.  It will be quicker to get on a bus going up or down the Holloway Road and get off as close as possible to the junction of Liverpool Road and Drayton Park.  Parking will be impossible as controls operate all day.

We suggest you bring your sketching stools and an umbrella.  There are various places to sit under cover, but they may not be where you want to be, and the summer house will not accommodate very many of us.  We are of course, hoping that the weather will be balmy! 

Looking forward to a lovely painting day.   Sue's telephone number for the day will be:07975 864142.