The park was created by community effort in 1976, initiated by local artist, sculptor and engineer Jamie McCulloch, who led a neighbourhood group to resist speculative commercial development taking over the site.

[1] From the start, the Meanwhile Gardens project was intended to involve all members of the local community, utilising any available skills and helping people to explore and develop fresh ones.

By the early 1980s, partly thanks to favourable funding by the Greater London Council, the Manpower Commission and others, park features and activities included an extensive BMX bike ramp system and an affiliated boating/boatbuilding club in addition to skateboarding, concerts and parties.

[1] In 2000, various refurbishment were made to assorted park spaces by landscape architects Planet Earth, with support from National Lottery funding and from the British Waterways Board.

[8] In 2007, the MGCA (alongside other community members and local ward councillor Pat Mason) successfully fought off an attempt to develop the western end of the park for new commercial housing.

[5][9] The current park features community gardening, volunteering opportunities, the Play Hut (a purpose-built, eco-friendly community centre for young children and their parents and carers, free to Kensington & Chelsea residents), one of London's oldest skateparks (an open-to-all, free-to-use facility with three interlocking bowls of various sizes), a Moroccan garden, and play equipment.

[15] Hawkwind spin-off Inner City Unit played sets at the park 1979-1980, several of which included former Tyrannosaurus Rex percussionist Steve Peregrin Took guesting on vocals.