Local Wildlife Site

Located just south of Wandsworth Road, this is the churchyard of the original parish church of Clapham, which dated from the 12th century. It should not be confused with the more prominent and Holy Trinity Church on Clapham Common opposite the Old Town, which is now the parish church. When Holy Trinity was built and ready for use in 1776, the old parish church was demolished and a new church constructed and dedicated to St Paul, and opened in 1815. The churchyard is currently managed by Lambeth Parks & Greenspaces and is well used by the local community. A number of improvements for public access and safety have been made, including improvement of the public footpath, Matrimony Place, through the centre of the churchyard with new lighting and fencing. Many of the church’s events during the summer months take places out of doors. Part of St Paul’s Churchyard has been used since 2001 by ‘Eden at St Paul’s’, a church parish charity, for their ‘Eden Community Garden’. This is a small community garden with raised beds, allotments, natural seating and wildflower areas. Because of the presence of the Eden Community Garden, the biodiversity value of the churchyard has increased substantially since 2001. Adjacent to the Churchyard proper (although not part of the actual site) are Iveley Road Allotments, a small triangular area of land used for allotments.