The Curfew Tower, Barking

Be First London: a company owned by Barking and Dagenham Council with a mission to accelerate the development of new homes and jobs for local people.

Node were commissioned to provide landscape design services within RIBA Stages 4 to 6 for enhancing public space located in the Abbey and Barking Town Centre Conservation Area, which was facing challenges from rapid large-scale development within its setting. The public realm site lies adjacent to the remaining built structure from the Barking Abbey – the Grade II listed Curfew Tower. The project was developed under guidance of London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and Historic England, on a basis of key design principles, among which was to design a delicate intervention that simplifies and de-clutters the public space in order to provide an appropriate setting for the historic Curfew Tower.

The completed landscape design features the following elements:

• Bronze model of the Abbey displayed within the axis of historic ‘Church Path’ street in front of the tower.
• New tree and groundcover planting with seasonal colour interest.
• Clear demarcation of pedestrian movement using kerbs, material changes, clear sight-lines and uncluttered space.
• Re-use of existing surface materials such as stone setts and Yorkstone flags to retain heritage feel of the setting.
• Lighting strategy that ensures area is safe and accessible.