Emma Cons Gardens is small public garden in the heart of Waterloo, tucked between The Cut and The Old Vic, with a story stretching back over a century. Each summer, we bring it to life with a programme of free events, performances, workshops and installations designed to show what this little garden can be.
Reimagining Emma Cons Gardens is a community-led ‘meanwhile’ celebration – a chance to activate the space and experience how the gardens could be, and to come together with our community to share the regeneration plans we’re developing for its future. Every event is a small experiment in what’s possible: a way to gather, perform, plant, play, listen, and shape what comes next.
It’s also a fundraising moment. Alongside the programme, we run our community fundraising campaign for the public art that will sit at the heart of the redesigned garden. Every donation – big or small – helps make the new Emma Cons Gardens a reality.
Nothing in the series happens in isolation. We put it together with local partners, neighbouring businesses, cultural organisations and the residents who know this corner of Waterloo best. From The Old Vic on our doorstep, to WeAreWaterloo BID, to our local businesses, schools and community groups – it’s a programme shaped by the people who use the gardens every day.
If you’d like to get involved – as a partner, a volunteer, a performer, or with an idea worth trying – we’d love to hear from you.
Emma Cons Gardens is named for a remarkable Victorian social reformer who founded The Old Vic and dedicated her life to making culture, education and community accessible to all. Reimagining the gardens is a way of honouring that spirit – turning a quiet patch of green into a place where the neighbourhood gathers, learns and looks after each other.