Overview

RailRoad seating manufactured and supplied by Furnitubes is providing a place for people to stop, rest and socialise in a new piazza-style open space at Connaught Village Green in Hyde Park, London.

Context

On June 4th, 2025, the Lord Mayor of Westminster unveiled Connaught Village Green - a piazza-style open space at what was once an underutilised junction in the heart of the Hyde Park Estate.

The Hyde Park Estate team at the Church Commissioners began work on this scheme in 2018, commissioning public realm architects DSDHA to design a space where people could meet, rest and recharge. The brief was clear: strengthen the village's identity, improve pedestrian safety through better road crossings, introduce planters and greenery, provide a drinking fountain, and encourage greater footfall to support local businesses.

The vision was for a piazza-style space that would serve Connaught Village's distinctive character: pastel shopfronts, independent cafés, and the community that gives this corner of the West End its particular appeal.

Solution

Furnitubes supplied seating throughout the green space, positioned to encourage lingering. The seating sits alongside new planters, natural stone paving, and widened footways to create a space that feels both distinctly urban and unexpectedly tranquil.

Improved crossings and careful traffic management now prioritise pedestrians. Cycle parking and a public drinking fountain address practical needs whilst the planting introduces biodiversity where every square metre of green matters.

Outcome

Community and identity

Where traffic once dominated, residents and visitors can now find somewhere to sit with their coffee, meet a friend, or catch their breath between errands.

Charlotte Moss, Head of London at the Church Commissioners, described the collaborative effort as one designed "to deliver a lasting space that I hope will serve everyone now and into the future."

Six years from conception to completion allowed for genuine consultation and thoughtful design. The result strengthens village identity whilst serving immediate, practical community needs.

Westminster City Council, FM Conway Ltd, WSP, and Marble Arch London BID each played instrumental roles throughout the design, consultation and implementation periods. The scheme demonstrates what collaboration between landowners, local authorities, contractors and BIDs can achieve when everyone commits to getting the details right.

Interested in creating public realm spaces that strengthen local identity whilst serving practical community needs? Our design team would welcome a conversation about how thoughtful furniture choices can support both people and place.