When you’re walking up Marylebone High Street towards Regents Park, it’s easy to ignore the little park on your left, probably because you’re avoiding the large tree that looks as if it has escaped the park and is venturing out to cross the road.
But that would be a shame because the Memorial Garden of Rest is not just an oasis in a busy street, but it’s absolutely full of stories.
It was created 75 years ago by the St Marylebone Society on the original grounds of the St Marylebone parish church. This plaque below shows how rural it would have looked.
The park, known as a pocket park, was empty when I went so I had the choice of benches. I also had popped into Daunts just up the road and the Epicerie Deli opposite for the most delicious cake beforehand.
Look how happy I am…
Anyway, back to the park. I certainly wasn’t alone with all the ghosts around me. The plaques showed connections to Francis Bacon, who got married there, William Hogarth who was a friend to James Figg, the pugalist – both buried there. Also George Stubbs (who I’ve been writing about in connection to Capability Brown), and also some other names that I enjoyed looking up when I was there.
I even listened to this beautiful piece by the composer, Joseph Woelfl who was buried there.
All gardens should come with music – and before you shout at me, I did have headphones because it was getting busier now. Obviously a popular lunch spot.
Not so busy though that I didn’t fall in love. Meet Elizabeth Ann Linley, who is mentioned in small letters as having married Richard Brinsley Sheridan in the church.
She was a singer and great beauty, painted several times by Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds, a bluestocking and poet. She married Mr Sheridan only after she called off an engagement to a wealthy suitor. It was a little more than this, apparently. She had been the subject of ‘lewd’ attention, so much so that she fainted and it was Richard Sheridan who found her and plotted to get her away. In fact, the couple eloped before marrying formally in the church. What a scandal that must have been, although not the only one. Duels were fought over her, lovers were taken, and there was even a painting by the Victorian painter, Jerry Barrett , of the elopment.
Well, better than any novel I could have read. And all from that ‘married Miss Linley here’. I do love it when that happens.
Somehow I don’t know what Charles Wesley would have thought of it all, but that’s the joy of a public park. There’s enough room for everyone.
The park really is small, so beautiful to see the trees there. The elm is a Wych elm and thought to be one of a handful in London to have survived Elm disease. Not sure what this cut is about though.
There’s also this Judas Tree – it was in blossom when I visited but the leaves will go silver like the coins Judas supposedly got for betraying Jesus, hence the name. One other story is that Judas hung himself from the tree which is why it blushes pink with shame. Hard to think anything bad about it though in London’s beautiful spring.
And I popped round the corner to the much larger parish church to see some of the bigger memorials that had been moved from the churchyard. There was a rehearsal for a concert so I couldn’t take many pictures although I did take this one of a window that was framed from bits of the original stained glass rescued after an air raid.
It was this that gave me the inspiration for the poem I wrote in the gardens. Here’s a first draft…
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