Waterperry Gardens 

May 1st 2010

Waterperry house and gardens, in oxfordshire which was originally home to the Horticultural College between 1932 and 1971 the gardens are really beautiful and a lot of the border planting particuarly is reminiscent of the arts and crafts movement / painterly style borders of Gertrude Jekyll. Mary spiller is the design consultant responsible for the majority of the design of the gardens, having herself graduated from the school to become a teacher, horticultural manager and then head gardener before her current design role.

 I really appreciated the gentle painterly approach to the design of the garden, particularly the Mary Rose gardens, (which were planted in 1991 and are now well established and flourishing) and  the canal and surrounding area. the canal is a strip of water (probably better described as a sort of rectangular pond) which joins the herbacious nursery to 'Mirandas border'. It is cleverly designed to allow the clear vista from the top lawn over the countryside to remain, whilt still being a beautiuful and interesting feature in itself. In the centre of the canal stands a statue of Miranda from Shakespeare's 'Tempest' sculpted by Tanya Russel, it is elegant and eautiful and seems to fit the aesthetic of the garden well. The formal gradens were also very interesting, based (loosely) on a Tudor garden, it comprises of plants which might have been found in gardens from multiple eras including Tudor, Stuart, Georgian and Victorian, and also has a sculpture of a girl holding the 'lamp of wisdom'.

I thoroughly enjoyed the gardens and found them very therapeutic and relaxing.

marks hall  -  06 / 03 / 10. Walk around Marks Hall in Essex. The planting was very beautiful in places, next to the lake birches and red barked dogwood are planted, which contrast beautifully with each other and are reflected in the water. In the woodland snow drops were out as where wood anamones and celendines.

"The Walled Garden covers two acres and was built in the C18th. It is unusual in that it is open to the lake on one side. Once completely overgrown and neglected the Trust decided to mark the 100th anniversary of Mr. Phillps Price’s acquisition of Marks Hall by creating a contemporary series of gardens to make this the summer focal point of the Arboretum. The magnificent double border is nearly 450 feet long and the five terraced gardens are designed to appeal to all ages with vibrant planting, which provides a procession of colour throughout the summer. The Duchess of Devonshire officially opened the Walled Garden on 1st July 2003."

The walled garden in winter.

Betula utilis and cornus alba, next to the lake. the contrasting colours really work together.

The walled garden was closed when we went for maintenance work. It is closed every winter as the planting is supposed to be purely intended for the summer. However we took a quick peek and I thought it was a real shame to write it off for half of the year. The beech hedges keep movement texture and some colour the garden and the sinuous curving walls reflect the silver winter light beautifully. I really enjoyed the visit especially after having been in the city for so long - you can really appreciate the changes in seasons in the country.

http://www.markshall.org.uk/map_of_marks_hall

http://www.cabe.org.uk/files/the-value-of-public-space.pdf

CABE document on the values of of public space. V interesting. Touches on economical issues, values of public space in terms of health and mental well being, values from biodiversity and nature, moving between public space etc etc. . . 

Burgess Park

05/02/10

I went to Burgess park to pick up a management report in order to inform a written part to my course in which you have to choose a medium scale landscape and write an in depth study of it's management. I thought Burgess park would be an interesting site to look at due to the amount of redevelopment planned in the area. The Aylesbury Estate, (opposite the park, on the Northern perimeter) has been due for redevelopment for some time and is due to be taken down in stages and rebuilt over the next fifteen years. What is proposed to be the new main entrance to the park which is located along the northern perimeter, linking the estate and the park, is nearing completion in it's new design as a very playful landscape (see previous blog). And of course the park itself has been awarded £6 million pounds of government funding for a redevelopment which LDA Design won the bidding for in November last year. The park is a strange mixture of modern (new sports pitches and community sports centre designed by Studio E Architects, which was awarded as a finalist LGC & HSJ sustainable communities award) and old ( Eg. Chumleigh Gardens, a group of  female almshouses built in 1921, now grade II listed buildings), the mix match feel of the park is consolidated by a hitch hatch almost grid of dis-used and still used roads. The majority of these roads lead into the park and stop abruptly, the condition of them is very bad and they give the park a vaguely derelict asthetic. There are problems in the park relating to dog fighting and training fighting dogs, which mean a lot of the trees are damaged. other than that the park is mainly open green space which provides enough room to hold events and festivals in the summer. The main path leading through the park follows the route of the Grand Surrey Canal, with reminders along the way such as a remaining bridge and an old lime kiln used when the area was at it's industrial peak and the canal was in working order. The canal was finally closed in 1970. The park was created under the Abercrombie plan, for the creation of green spaces after the war, the plan to create burgess park was conceived in 1943, many houses destroyed by the air raids in the war were torn down along with many untouched houses, which is why today we can still see the scars of that infrastructure left on the landscape of the park. I Can't say I found the park very pleasent to walk around, however green space is always better than no green space and I look forward to the new Burgess park by LDA Design.

Panoramic view of Burgess park from the new entrance.

14/01/10

"The Co-op, UK

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BrightFarm Systems is part of the winning team chosen to develop a master plan for the redevelopment of an eight-hectare site in central Manchester, United Kingdom. Our design team was chosen by global engineering firm Arup to develop carbon neutral, local food production systems."

http://brightfarmsystems.com/projects/the-co-op-uk

Brightfarm systems are involved in several interesting projects based around urban agriculture and other design solutions to environmental and sustainability issues. One project that they have built, which interests me particularly is The  Science Barge, located on the Hudson river New York. It is a barge which demonstrates systems which can be used to create an entirely sustainable food production using renewable energy, to the public. The designer of the barge itself was Ted Caplow, who is the executive director of New York Sun Works Centre for Sustainable Engineering.

http://brightfarmsystems.com/projects/nysw-usa

Barcelona 

20th November 2009

Today we headed back towards the montjuic area of the city. We walked from Placa d' Espanya up the hill towards Museu nacional Art de Catalunya where we turned right and carried on walking through the Parc du Montjuic and past the Olympic stadium to the Botanical gardens. The Parc du Montjuic was impressive. Again I found myself in a huge scale landscape, providing space for large events, beautiful design; but no people. I didn't find the space depressing at all (although I did in other areas which share the characteristics i have just described eg.Parc del Auditoris, part of the forum used for the Second World Urban Forum 2004), the sculptures seemed to keep the space animated enough to compensate for the lack of people moving around. The main attraction, Landscape wise, in the Olympic city is the space which surrounds Santiago Calatrava's beautiful telecommunications mast, which was built for 'Telephonica' to carry coverage of the 1992 Olympic Games. 

"The overall form of the tower is based on a Calatrava sketch of a kneeling figure making an offering. The base on which the figure 'kneels' is covered in broken glazed tiles in recognition of Gaudi (though with more restrained colors). The orientation of the tower means that the shadow of the central needle on the circular platform acts as a (rather impractical) sundial."

There are four large rectangular lawns and the area is paved in large pale slabs all over. The pillars down the side of the lawns combined with the bright shining white colours of the site and combined again with the enormous scale of everything on the site, give it a slightly Grecian feel; which is actually very fitting to it's purpose as the Olympic village.  From the direction we viewed the famous mast, there were pretty wire sculptures in the foreground, which I really liked; I felt they gave an elegant and simplistic detail to the otherwise vast space. 

Above and Below: Santiago Calatrava's beautiful telecommunications mast, with the wire sculptures in the foreground

After The park we visited the Botanical Gardens which are positioned high up on the hillside and have beautiful views over the city to the mountains behind. The Gardens were designed by an interdisciplinary team comprising the architects Carlos Ferrater and Josep Lluís Canosa, the landscape architect Bet Figueras, the horticulturalist Artur Bossy and the biologist Joan Pedrola. The two main considerations during the design of the Gardens were:

"Firstly, how the vegetation was to be structured. It was important to plan the layout according to geographic criteria, grouping the plants according to the world’s five Mediterranean regions. Within these regional groupings, moreover, the plants should be combined according to ecological affinity, that is to say, recreating landscapes as they are found in nature.

The second consideration involved creating a project in which the mountain itself provided the topographic conditions for establishing the different plant areas in the Garden. This entailed designing the network of paths around the natural relief and avoiding large earth moving operations as far as possible."

http://www.jardibotanic.bcn.es/11_eng.htm

The result of these two considerations meant a network of paths was created around a series of triangular plots to accommodate the principle plant communities found in Mediterranean climates around the world. Attention was also paid to the available space, mountain slope and soil condition. The design of the space is very clean and beautiful the pathways are cut into the mountainside and seating areas and areas of change in level have different angled triangular shaped retaining walls clad in corten steel. The use of the rusty looking corten steel, brings a different texture to the gardens and creates swathes of orange- brown colour, which complements  and enhances the plants around it. There are trellises above some of the seating areas, created by many cords of wire pulled straight and at such angles to each other that the overall finish is a large curve of wire, with climbers making their way along it. I loved the wonder around looking at all the different plant species, you feel above the city and away from the bustle and noise of the city; it' is a very calming and serene place to be. I really appreciated the design of the Gardens, I think it's my favorite piece of Landscape architecture I have seen on this field trip. Especially the pond, the way the triangular shapes are used ti hide and reveal ares of the pond is very beautiful, and the planting surrounding it is perfect.

Above: the pond in the Botanic Gardens

Above and Below: The trellises over seating areas, and a small amphitheater area, which shows well the style in which the entire site was built.

Below: Some level changes and example of how areas are cut out of the mountainside and lined with corten steel.

University College Hospital

October 2009

There was a small art exhibition along the entrance to the university college hospital:

"The art in the new University College Hospital has been made to create a welcoming, uplifting environment for patients, visitors and staff and in so doing improve patient well being, boost staff morale and widen access to the arts across the trust. Recent evidence shows that an engaging and stimulating hospital environment can assist in quicker recovery rates for patients as well as help with the recruitment and retention of staff." 

The artwork was from the Slade School of Fine art and the exhibition seemed to be based along the lines of nature / gardens and the artists' perceptions of and reactions to these things. There were several peices which i found beautiful and interesting. One piece in particular  caught my attention, which was a black and white photograph of a garden from outside the garden with the tree (which looks like a monkey puzzle or chile pine (Araucaria araucana)) painted in black acrylic paint. It is a really strong image from an interesting view point. There was also a beautiful 3D piece which created a bizarre optical illusion, but was just pins stuck into a surface, simple but beautiful and interesting.

 

Hampton Court Palace 

25th September

I visited Hampton Court Gardens, as i have never seen them before. We started in the Rose gardens and then visited the famous maze, which was originally  for entertaining in 1690 the maze consists of half a mile of paths with yew hedges either side, it takes twenty minutes to reach the middle. We then headed through to the front of the house which has an avenue of huge topiary yews framing the house from the parkland. The yews were a fantastic shape, and clearly extremely old. The maintenance issue of avenues of trees is that they look best the same size/shape, so replacing diseased/declining trees is difficult without ruining the effect, I noticed there were a few younger trees, which clearly replaced the original trees. The only way to save the effect is to be brave enough to take down all the trees at once and replant, however half the charm of the avenue is the majestic size and age of the trees. Next we saw the Privy Garden, which has been restored to it's 1702 glory, which was fascinating. The symmetrical design and perfect topiary, and marble statues, really made me consider the landscape architecture of the time it was built, it was so perfect and symmetrical and well groomed; intricately designed. Followed by the knot garden, which was laid out in 1924, an imitation of a type of garden that might have been at Hampton Court in the 16th century. And then the pond gardens followed by  The Great Vine, which was incredible. The vine was a cutting from a vine in Valentine's park in Essex, planted by Capability Brown in 1768. Its roots are planted outside the glasshouse, which is kept completely clear of all other plants and heavily composted to provide sufficient nutrients to the vine. The glasshouse measures 60 x 12 feet and had to be lengthened by 12 feet to accommodate the Vine. It's very impressive and still produces grapes; although we visited too late to try them as the harvest is in late August. It was a very interesting visit and I loved the gardens, they were very beautiful and impressive.

(From the top: One of the Pond gardens, the perfectly sheered tips of the yew trees in the avenue framing the house, The Great Vine, and The Privy Garden.) 

OPEN HOUSE LONDON 2009

LDA Design led walking tour - Potters Field

19th September 2009

Potters Field is a public space designed by Gros Max, it's positioned alongside More London but goes further back to Tooley street. I joined a tour led by an LDA Design Landscape Architect, around Potters Field and More London. There are two pavilions at either side of Potters Field; one constructed of steel and glass and a contrasting one constructed of charred wood, the smooth sleek modern lines contrast with the rough edges. There is a badly maintained green roof on the glass and steel construction and both buildings have a temporary feel about them but are permanent. I found the design of the glass building, somehow wrong, i think because I thought it was temporary and was not built in keeping with the landscape. The seating (shown above) has pale blue designs on the top to reflect the sites history as a pottery. as you walk away from Tooley street towards the Thames the trees on the site and the pavilion frame a walkway towards the Entrance of The Tower of London. Towards the Tooley end side of the site the planting is very gentle and soft in comparison to the extreme hardscaping in More London , this is for the residents living near the end; a 'local garden'.

Koko-en - HIMEJI - 09.07.2009

Koko-en was constructed in 1992 to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of Himeji municipality.

 Koko-en is composed of nine separate gardens, making use of the exact former site of where Nishi-Oyashiki (the lord's west residence) and other samurai houses once existed. The original location was confirmed through seven archeological excavations.
Professor Makoto Nakamura of Kyoto University supervised the planning and designing of this garden.
The name Koko-en is derived from Koko-do the name of Japan's sixth provincial school founded in 1692 in Himeji by the last Lord of Himeji, Sakai family.
All of the nine separate gardens show the essence of the Edo period. The following are some of the many splendors which can be found here. Among attractions, Oyasiki-no-niwa, the garden of the lord's house, comes first.
Second , Cha-no-niwa, the garden of tea, has an elaborate tea house, where you can enjoy an authentic tea ceremony. Next, several mud walls with roof tiles on were built as replicas of original walls located here.
There is also a Nagaya-Gate which bestows upon viewers the historical feeling of the Edo period. In addition, from Nagare-no-hiraniwa you can enjoy excellent views of the main keep and the West Bailey of Himeji Castle. Finally strolling through the gardens, you can appreciate beautiful trees and flowers of four seasons, the rapids and waterfalls, and covered walkways built of Japanese cypress.
You can feel history and see natural beauty in this garden. It is an impressive and scenic spot located just west of Himeji Castle.

Kinkakuji Temple - KYOTO - 08.07.2009

Beautiful golden pagoda. the grounds it was set in were beautiful too. the lake reflects the gold of the pagoda beautifully. Where you would expect to see grass in a garden in the Uk there is Moss in Japanese gardens, I often saw gardeners weeding grass seedlings out of the moss.

Toji Temple - KYOTO - 08.07.09

To-ji was founded in 794 when emperor Kanmu moved the capital from Nara to kyoto, and was thus one of the earliest Buddhist temple.Its five-tiered pagoda is 57m tall, making it the highest wooden tower in Japan. It was last built in 1643 after having burned five times.Toji is listed on the UNESCO world heritage list since 1994. Kobo-san market is held on the temple's premises on the 21st of each month.

Really lovely gardens, lots of water and little stone bridges and very cute little terrapin/turtles in the ponds on little stones.

KYOTO

Nijo-Jo Gardens

6th July 2009

"The Ninomaru Garden, designed by Kobori Enshu, has undergone several changes over the years. Originally designed so as to not show the passing of seasons (no trees were planted) plants and trees have since been added and allow the garden to have color at all times of the year: Camellias in January and February; apricot blossoms in February and March; dogwood and cherry blossoms in April; azaleas in May; azaleas and cape jasmine in June; Indian lilacs in July and August; bush clover in September adn October; maples leaves in November; and firethorn in December. No matter what season you go, there will be something beautiful and colorful blooming.In the center of the garden is a large pond containing three islands connected by four bridges. Horai, the central island, represents the Island of Eternal Happiness and is flanked by Turtle Island (Kame-jima) and Crane Island (Tsuru-jima), both symbols of longevity. Waterlilies, plants, and rocks augment the beauty of the garden. It is really a very beautiful and peaceful garden.

In 1965 the Seiryu Garden was built for the purpose of receptions and cultural events. This garden is landscaped in both modern and traditonal styles and contains two teahouses, the Koun-tei and the Waraku-an. In June and November tea masters perform tea ceremonies for the public."

http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/Kyoto/nijo.html

The gardens were designed by Kobori Enshu, who was a master of tea, architecture, garden design, calligraphy and poetry he was a multi-talented leader of early Edo culture in Japan. Often i noticed that the designers of a lot of gardens i visited whilst in Japan where primarily tea masters.