‘We have to become warriors’: the fight to save the world’s only women’s sculpture park

Claire Mander, driven by the overwhelming number of monuments in London created by men, envisioned the Artist’s Garden as a crucial step towards rectifying this imbalance. However, she now expresses concern that the park might be repurposed into a nondescript venue for exclusive VIP gatherings and cocktail parties.

A decade ago, while pursuing her Master's degree in art history at London's Courtauld Institute, Mander discovered the disused roof terrace of the nearby Temple underground station. This neglected, overgrown area, offering breathtaking vistas of the Thames and the London Eye, held an unusual allure for her. Mander, who now directs and curates Colab, an arts charity and incubator focused on large-scale outdoor sculptures, remembers it as "dirty, abandoned, and a magnet for antisocial behaviour."

Her research into the history of the site, constructed as part of the Victoria Embankment in 1870, revealed an even older connection to sculpture. Prior to its embankment construction, the land was home to a 17th-century sculpture garden established by the Countess of Arundel.

'We have to become warriors': the fight to save the world’s only women’s sculpture park

Claire Mander, aiming to correct the gender imbalance in London's public art, conceived the Artist’s Garden. She now fears it could be transformed into a generic space for VIP events.

Ten years ago, during her MA in art history at London's Courtauld Institute, Mander found the neglected roof terrace of Temple underground station. She was drawn to the overgrown space with its views of the Thames and London Eye. Mander, director of Colab, an arts charity specializing in large outdoor sculptures, described it as "dirty, abandoned and a magnet for antisocial behaviour."

She discovered the site was built as part of the Victoria Embankment in 1870. Before that, the land had a 17th-century sculpture garden created by the Countess of Arundel.

"We must become warriors": The battle to preserve the world's sole women's sculpture park

Claire Mander, recognizing the male dominance in London's monumental art, envisioned the Artist’s Garden as a way to counterbalance this. Now, she warns that it could be converted into a generic space for high-profile events and social gatherings.

A decade ago, while studying for her art history MA at the Courtauld Institute in London, Mander stumbled upon the derelict roof terrace of the adjacent Temple underground station. She found herself inexplicably drawn to the overgrown expanse, which offered spectacular views of the Thames and the London Eye. Mander, now the director and curator of Colab, an arts charity and incubator focusing on large-scale outdoor sculptures, recalled, "It was dirty, abandoned and a magnet for antisocial behaviour."

She researched the history of the abandoned space, originally built as part of the Victoria Embankment in 1870. Before that, the site's ground was home to a 17th-century sculpture garden established by the Countess of Arundel.