The Hampshire Gardens Trust - TrustNews Summer 2001
The Trust was formed in 1984 Council at Avington Park in 1982. It has about 400 members and an office at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens at Ampfield.
Construction of 'The Willow Dome'
Helping Hampshire's Gardens
The motto of the Trust is 'Helping Hampshire's Gardens'. Firstly, it tries to protect the County's historic Parks and Gardens with advice and, sometimes, small grants to owners, mainly to fund surveys or plans for restoration or management. The Trust is also a consultee to the Planning Authorities. It has held several conferences, the most recent to introduce the "Hampshire Register of Historic Parks and Gardens", produced by the County Council with help from the Trust's Research Group. Last year, for example, the Trust helped the Atherley School at Grove Place, Nursling, to replant their magnificent lime avenue - already planted twice since the turn of the seventeenth century. The Trust recently helped the monks of St Michael's Abbey at Farnborough, where Napoleon III, the Empress and their son are buried. The Planning Authorities have been pressed to include local lists of historic park and gardens in their plans, with a policy to protect them; nearly all those in Hampshire now have such a policy.
Children
Secondly, the Trust is very keen to introduce children to gardens and gardening. It helps children to learn about the environment through improvements to school grounds, often carried out by the children themselves, with help from parents, school staff and the Trust. For many years small grants have been given, mainly to Primary Schools, as well as advice, talks or practical help. With funds given by the County Council a similar programme is now being extended to children's homes in the County, to help relieve the rigours of institutional life. Schools areencouraged to send entries to the Southampton Balloon and Flower Festival, or to form links with bodies such as the National Trust. A newsletter is published every term and a web-site has been set up - (www.hants.org.uk/schoolgardens/). Hampshire County Council have now formed the Schools Grounds Advisory Forum on which the Trust is represented. Another welcome new scheme is the Trust Fund set up by Alan Titchmarsh to finance projects in Primary Schools. The message is spreading!
New gardens and parks
Lastly, the Trust helps to create new gardens and parks, it promoted the Queen Eleanors' Garden , behind the Great Hall in Winchester, which was opened by the Queen Mother in 1987. The Trust has its own public garden, the Physic Garden at Petersfield, on land presented to the Trust by the late John Bowen. Here they have both financed and built the garden and a new hall, run by a local Friends Group New gardens have been established at Alverstoke, Romsey, Fareham, Portsmouth and next to the Cathedral in Winchester. There is an Urban Projects programme in places, such as Southampton or Portsmouth, where Community Gardens are of particular value to local people, especially those who live in flats.
The Jekyll garden at Townhill Park on the edge of Southampton is being restored with the help of an enthusiastic group of Friends and the Trust. There are also discussions with the Monastery at the Badia Fiorentia in Florence, to recreate a garden there which will celebrate the ties between the Cathedrals of Florence and Winchester. The Trust is now supporting Winchester City Council in a scheme at Hyde Abbey. This is the site of excavations carried out over some years by the City's archaeologists (and volunteers) to expose the foundations of the east end of the Abbey destroyed at the Dissolution. It was the final resting place of King Alfred, although his tomb had been robbed. Kim Wilkie has been appointed to design a new garden, or extension of the Park, an exciting project again supported by keen local residents.
These are some of the ways the Hampshire Gardens Trust is trying to help Hampshire's Gardens.