TWO years ago the Horniman Museum
embarked on an ambitious redevelopment programme – to totally
revamp and transform its award winning gardens.
Last week they were formally re-opened
to the public by garden designer, TV presenter and the museum's
patron Joe Swift.
I took a stroll with him to
check it out
Perched on the top of a hill just off
the south circular the Horniman Museum is one of the jewels in south
London's crown.
It has graced Forest Hill for more than
100 years and is set in 16 acres of gardens.
In the past these gardens have often
been overlooked by visitors keen to see the artefacts in the museum
which was established in 1901by Victorian philanthropist and tea
trader Frederick Horniman.
But not any more. After a £2.3million
refurb and 16 months hard graft by head gardener Gordon Lucas and his
team, they have been extensively remodelled, re-landscaped and opened
up, to reveal a stunning collection of interlinking spaces.
The gardens were formally re-opened on
Thursday last week by garden designer, TV presenter and museum
Patron, Joe Swift.
He arrived fresh from triumphing at the
Chelsea Flower Show the previous week where he picked up a gold medal
for his first show garden at the popular horticultural event.
Wearing his distinctive fedora hat, he
is every bit as affable, chatty and down to earth as he appears on
TV.
What is apparent from the off as I join
him on a tour of the new and improved features is his passion and
enthusiasm for the Horniman and its now "fantastic"
gardens.
“I love this space,” he smiles
enthusiastically, gesturing to the vast expanse before us.
“It’s fantastic. There is so much
to see and it's like a celebration. Last time I came here was in the
autumn. Just seeing it all finished and the way it frames the views
across London is amazing.”
Joe was invited to be part of the
project when the idea was first mooted two years ago but is very
modest about his involvement.
"They asked me to be patron three
years ago and then Gordon [Lucas] showed me the designs and it all
made perfect sense.
"I was asked for my input and gave
a few planting ideas but really they had everything pretty much spot
on."
Looking around it's easy to see why Joe
is so impressed.
Work done includes the refurbishment of
the sunken garden,the display gardens, the restoration of the
100-year-old Bandstand and the creation of a new specialist plant
area.
Other new additions include a Sound
Garden with a musical play area and a Community Food Garden.
Later this year an open area for the
animals will also be introduced.
The most significant development has
been the introduction of a Gardens Pavilion, complete with a living
sedum roof and ground source heat pump, which will be used by schools
and other groups to learn more about the museum’s collections and
how they link in with the gardens.
It is, Joe says, an amazing
achievement.
"What has been recreated here is
exactly what was inthe brief and Gordon and his team have done a
brilliant job in bringing it to life.
"The quality of the planting is
outstanding and the way it all links together and brings a sense of
what's in the museum, outside, is incredible. I’m proud to be
involved."
What makes him smile most is the many
children clearly enjoying and exploring the new and improved space.
"Seeing them here today having fun
in what is basically an enormous outdoor classroom – that’s what
it’s all about – making a connection with nature.
“That’s why what has been achieved
here is so great as it offers kids the chance to get out into the
open air and learn about nature, plants, the environment and where
food comes from."
It's this passion for educating the
horticulturists of the future that fires him up.
"In times of austerity it's always
horticulture and the arts which are the first to get their funds cut
and it's so short sighted. We don't value them enough which is
madness as we are supposed to be a nation of gardeners!
"We need more investment to train
the horticulturists of the future. We need to grow more of our own
plants, reclaim land for community spaces and invest in real
gardeners.
“This redevelopment is so important
as it shows the value of horticulture at a grassroots level. It
should be an exemplar for others to follow. It's inspiring and I
think Gordon is a legend for what he has achieved."
Pausing for breath, Joe is asked to
give youngsters from Horniman Primary School a hand with some
planting. Without a word, his jacket is off, sleeves are rolled up
and he gets stuck in to the obvious delight of the kids and their
teachers.
Afterwards he chuckles and says:
"Actually they didn't need me - they seem to know what to do
which is fantastic!"
I ask him which his favourite bit of
the park is.
"Well that's a really tricky one,”
he says. “I love the borders and the World Food Garden is very
interesting. But the entire planting scheme is just so great, I love
it all really. Just seeing plants growing and kids getting a kick out
of it all is excellent!”
Before he goes off to explore the
gardens properly, I ask him what his next project is now he's
achieved his goal of designing a show garden for Chelsea.
"I'd like a bit of a rest to be
honest," he laughs.
"I'd wanted to do Chelsea for such
a long time but never got round to it as it takes a year of your
life.
"I had been presenting the show
for 10 years and this time last year I decided it was now or never
and to make it happen. And I'm so pleased I did.
"I couldn't have made a better
garden and the fact my gardening heroes Cleve (West), Dan (Pearson),
Andy (Sturgeon) and Chris (Bradley-Hole) came and said they liked it
was the icing on the cake. To win gold was like winning the World Cup
though - it was just fantastic!
"However, it was a lot of hard
work as it's all about the quality and the right plants and the
spacing. The creative process was intense and the three weeks of
construction were hard work
"I won't be doing it again
though!"
I tell him this is a shame but he says
he wants to concentrate on his presenting and his passion for
creating urban community spaces.
Not bad for someone who didn't know
what to do when he left school.
"I've been very lucky. I went to
art college and was in a band and then went travelling and worked in
a kibutz in Israel and realised I wanted to be outdoors. A job
driving vans for a gardening company in north London followed before
someone asked him to design a garden.
It was he said a pivotal moment. "I
had no idea where to start but it was such an exciting thought that I
decided to train as a gardener and I never looked back."
In between his TV commitments,
presenting Gardener's World Live on the BBC each year and other
gardening shows, he runs his own garden design company.
"This is my passion and in
particular creating community spaces. We have so many areas crying
out to be taken over and looked after by people who want to create
little enclaves of tranquility and space in their communities."
He is currently filming a new series
where he works with groups to create such areas.
"It's so satisfying because
everyone is so enthusiastic. It's great to work with people who are
so passionate and it's hugely rewarding for me."
And with that he's off to explore and
inspire the next generation of gardeners.
