Trafalgar Square to be covered with grass
11th May 2007
Daily Mail
Never before has Trafalgar Square looked anything like this. Lush green turf has replaced the broad paving slabs while picnicking couples and deckchairs have taken the place of tourists and office workers.
While it may seem unlikely - and Lord knows what Nelson would make of it - this pastoral fantasy is soon to become a reality.
For two days this month, the square will be covered in 2,000 sq ft of turf, transforming it into what is being described as "London's village green".
How Trafalgar Square normally looks
How Trafalgar Square will look for two days
It is part of tourist body Visit London's campaign to promote the capital's "villages", whether they be in urban Marylebone or suburban Wimbledon, Primrose Hill or Blackheath (Europe's largest city is actually composed of many small villages that once lay just outside London but were swallowed up as the city grew).
Anxious to forestall accusations that laying that much turf for a mere two days is hardly a green thing to do, Visit London has gone to great pains to point out the project's eco-friendly credentials.
The turf will come from a sustainable source in the Vale of York and after its is removed it will be transferred to Bishops Park in Fulham, where it will be planted beneath an avenue of plane trees close to the Thames.
The carbon emissions from transporting the turf will be offset and Visit London promised the entire event will be carbon neutral. A spokesman said: "Although one of the world's leading global cities, London can also claim to be a diverse collection of villages and one of the greenest capitals in the world."
dailymail.co.uk
11th May 2007
Daily Mail
Never before has Trafalgar Square looked anything like this. Lush green turf has replaced the broad paving slabs while picnicking couples and deckchairs have taken the place of tourists and office workers.
While it may seem unlikely - and Lord knows what Nelson would make of it - this pastoral fantasy is soon to become a reality.
For two days this month, the square will be covered in 2,000 sq ft of turf, transforming it into what is being described as "London's village green".
How Trafalgar Square normally looks
How Trafalgar Square will look for two days
It is part of tourist body Visit London's campaign to promote the capital's "villages", whether they be in urban Marylebone or suburban Wimbledon, Primrose Hill or Blackheath (Europe's largest city is actually composed of many small villages that once lay just outside London but were swallowed up as the city grew).
Anxious to forestall accusations that laying that much turf for a mere two days is hardly a green thing to do, Visit London has gone to great pains to point out the project's eco-friendly credentials.
The turf will come from a sustainable source in the Vale of York and after its is removed it will be transferred to Bishops Park in Fulham, where it will be planted beneath an avenue of plane trees close to the Thames.
The carbon emissions from transporting the turf will be offset and Visit London promised the entire event will be carbon neutral. A spokesman said: "Although one of the world's leading global cities, London can also claim to be a diverse collection of villages and one of the greenest capitals in the world."
dailymail.co.uk