Square Saint Lambert

Set on a former gasworks site, the vast Saint Lambert gardens were created to 1933 to help clean up the area. Once the factory and its foundations had been demolished, architect Georges Sébille replaced the contaminated earth with clean soil and used the hole to make a miniature lake surrounded by an amphitheatre of parkland. The park is split into three areas: the children’s play area with swings and slides, a sandpit with a circular shelter for wet weather and an open-air theatre. Like many art deco-era parks, the main wall is embellished with a monumental bas-relief – in this case of dancing children, by sculptor Auguste Guénot (1882-1966). Another wonderful art deco oeuvre to look out for is Victor Peter’s 1938 statue (Les Oursons), which shows two young bears fighting.