Sir Sydney Waterlow: park life
After Sir Sydney Waterlow made his pile from the printing trade, he gifted his lands in Highgate to the public as a âGarden for the Gardenlessâ. Dan Carrier considers the life of the great philanthropist
15 July, 2021 â By Dan Carrier
The gates of Waterlow Park. Photos: Peter OâConnor aka anemoneprojectors-Flickr CC 2.0
EVERY time you step through ornate gates and into the gardens of Waterlow Park, you are enjoying the kindness of a man whose stone visage gazes out from a plinth.
He is Sir Sydney Waterlow, a self-made Victorian businessman who decided his 29-acre garden in Highgate would make, in his own words, the perfect âGarden for the Gardenlessâ.