London’s Only Women’s Sculpture Park Faces Demolition for VIP Cocktail Lounge

Ten years ago, Claire Mander discovered a hidden, overgrown rooftop above Temple underground station in London. The space, which offers stunning views of the Thames and the London Eye, was dirty and abandoned, attracting antisocial behavior. While studying for an art history degree at the Courtauld Institute, Mander was drawn to the site. She soon learned that the ground beneath it once housed a 17th-century sculpture garden created by the Countess of Arundel. The rooftop itself was built in 1870 as part of the Victoria Embankment. Today, Mander runs the Artist’s Garden, the world’s only sculpture park dedicated exclusively to women artists. The park was created to counterbalance London’s monuments, most of which were made by men. Now, she warns, the park is under threat. Plans are in motion to turn the space into a generic venue for VIP events and cocktails. Mander says the fight to save it has begun. “We have to become warriors,” she told the Guardian. The park is operated by the Colab, an arts charity and incubator that specializes in large-scale outdoor sculptures, where Mander serves as director and curator. No final decision has been announced, but the future of the unique cultural space remains uncertain.