It’s testimony to the ‘cleaning up’ of the Cross that this once-dodgy park is now a reasonably safe place to hang out (probably helped by the austere police station in the corner). It still feels seedy, though: malnourished seagulls compete for scraps with pigeons who look like Keith Richards, while bearded homeless guys compile cigarettes from discarded butts.
Known by some local wags as the ‘elephant douche’, the dandelion-esque El Alamein Fountain (1961) sends waves of chlorinated spray across the open space. An organic food market sets up here on Saturday mornings, while on Sundays a little flea market takes its place.
