Rochester Square is a half-acre, private square in the heart of Camden. Records show land and buildings at Rochester Square being used as a nursery for more than a century, from the 1840s, and also contain earlier (1820s) references to a nearby nursery on land leased to Robert Montgomery.

In the early twentieth century, the nursery came to be owned by Stroud’s, a company best known as a film prop business that specialised in the supply and rental of palms for the entertainment industry.

After being abandoned and derelict for more than a decade, in early 2016 Francesca Anfossi and Eric Wragge formed and led a partnership to purchase the abandoned and derelict nursery site from the previous owners. Since then, we are in the process of revitalising, testing new ideas and working with socially engaging projects. As part of our outreach process, we set up a communal pottery studio for recreational use and collaborative ideas for artists and neighbours where we learn and share knowledge through making.

London’s new urban farming company is launching its pilot farm at Rochester Square. For a small monthly fee, Foodscape members get their own vegetable garden and a share of the community farm. They can also attend gardening workshops, member meet-ups, wine tastings and cooking classes.