Welcome to tradescant.net, the website of the Tradescant Area Residents Association (TARA) for people living in Tradescant Road, Walberswick Street, Meadow Place, Old South Lambeth Road, Heyford Terrace, Heyford Avenue, and the western end of Dorset Road – all in South Lambeth, London SW8.
We aim to improve our environment and develop a sense of community in the area.
We plant things, hold social events, and liaise with the council and the police. Join us today or email tara@tradescant.net for more information.
Our aims
We want to make our neighbourhood the best it can possibly be for the people who live and work here.
We try to foster a community spirit and help people get to know more of their neighbours
What we do
We liaise with the Lambeth Council about concerns such as planning applications and street cleaning.
We are very active in planting and maintaining some of the local ‘public realm’ green areas such as the Tradescant Road/St Stephens pocket park, the Dorset Road build-outs, planters and tree beds.
We hold monthly social events where people can meet face to face.
We attend meetings and consult with the local police and other organisations.
Most importantly, we aim to share whatever we find out with our members!
How are we constituted?
TARA is a properly constituted not-for-profit organistion registered with Lambeth Council.
We hold an Annual General Meeting for all voting members at the beginning of each year, with additional meetings in between.
TARA’s work is steered by a Committee which meets quarterly. We aim to have representatives on the committee from each street. If you are interested in being on the Committee we would love to hear from you. Please email tara@tradescant.net.
You can read our constitution here.
Why are we called the Tradescant Area Residents Association?
Many of our streets are built on what used to be the gardens of the famous plant explorer, John Tradescant (c.1570–1638) and his son also called John (1608–1662).
As well as collecting plants, seeds, and bulbs on their travels, the Tradescants assembled a collection of curiosities known as ‘The Ark’ in Turret House which was roughly behind where Estrela is. The ‘Musaeum Tradescantianum’ was the first museum in England to be open to the public. Between them they introduced many plants to England that have become part of the modern gardener’s repertory including, of course, Tradescantia, or spiderwort.
Elias Ashmole (1617–1692) – he of Cambridge’s Ashmolean Museum – also lived in a house on this site.
Where in the Tradescants’ gardens was your home? Use our before-and-after slider at tradescant.net/slider
Most of our streets were built in the late Victorian period
On 31 October 1881 The Times newspaper lamented: “The Tradescant Gardens – The gardens through which King James I wandered with his courtiers, and Charles I and Villiers strolled with the frail beauties of those monarchs’ Courts to view the strange rarities which had been brought from foreign parts into “Tradescant’s Ark,” have at length yielded to the speculative spirit of the modern builder, and the four acres of land which they comprised have just been covered with houses.”