The Hanging Gardens of Paddington

By Benjamen Judd

One of the nicest things about Sydney is the number of parks scattered throughout the city. And this isn’t just the big ones like Centennial Park, the Chinese or Botanical Gardens, or even our standard lunchtime hang in Hyde Park. We mean the smaller, lesser known architecturally design havens that provide a much needed respite from the pace of a global city.

One of these little gems is tucked away in the Rocks, up a set of stairs and is a labyrinth of ladders and steelwork, Foundation Park. Built on the uneven grounds of torn down housing, the park is literally a maze, with stairs leading nowhere, doorways to empty space and seating in impossible to reach spaces.

But the place that we have spent a large chunk of summer visiting has been the Paddington Reservoir on Oxford Street. Built on an actual water duct and reservoir, the park is a green wonderland that is buried in the ground, hidden away from the Oxford Street shoppers and traffic. The project was launched in 2006 as a joint venture between architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and landscape architects JMD Design, who began work to conserve, restore and reuse the space of the then derelict Paddington Reservoir. The park was opened in 2008 as a sunken garden with rooftop reserve above the preserved eastern chamber. The final design integrates the remains of the original brick, timber and iron structure with modern elements of sculptural, structural and functional significance which provide access to the sunken garden via stairs and an elevator as well as ramped access to the rooftop reserve.

The Paddington Reservoir Gardens are located at 251-255 Oxford Street, Paddington.