McMillan
Herb
Garden is a little community garden in Deptford, tucked away behind a
brick
wall just around the corner from where I live. I had walked past it for
three
years thinking it was a private garden, before, through a strange
coincidence
in spring 2012, I was introduced to three of the main volunteers there:
Mick, Diane
and Richard. And, of course, Sam the dog. I was immediately enchanted
by this
small space full of beautifully arranged plants and artworks, lovingly
looked
after by the three and other volunteers. Without any hesitation I asked
if they
would allow me to photograph the garden, and since then I have been a
regular
visitor documenting the kids’ workshops, gigs, poetry events, grape and
berry
picking, and other work being done. It is a close-knit community of
local
people who keep the garden going on a tiny, often non-existent, budget,
and
access is only possible at the occasional event or through Mick or
Diane. I
feel privileged to have found a little garden of Eden amidst buildings
and
walls, where I can sit in peace and forget the fact that I am in the
middle of
a big city; where people work together, with their hands, with earth
and
plants, berries and grapes, wood and stone, tiles and clay. When I
enter McMillan
Herb Garden, I forget the noise and stress of daily life, and shutting
the gate
behind me compares with the tranquillity I feel when in the
countryside, just
on a much smaller piece of land.
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