RHS Bridgewater - A new garden for a new decade
Yesterday was my third ‘behind the scenes’ preview tour of RHS Bridgewater which is due to open later this year. Now, I can’t quite claim to be a Northerner by birth, but my mother’s side of the family are from Wigan and I’ve lived here for most of my life so I think that qualifies me to comment as one.
Located on the site that was originally Worsley New Hall, Bridgewater really feels like it will be a garden that understands and respects the industrial heritage of Salford and the surrounding area. From the Kitchen Garden designed by Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg, using a template of the underground waterway systems used to transport coal in days gone by, to the Victorian style glasshouse in the Paradise Garden, the objectives are clear.
But it is also a garden for the future, with a Wellbeing garden forming a key element of the plans, along with a Learning Garden designed by students of Manchester Metropolitan University.
At this point in time though, Bridgewater is still very much a construction site and whilst many of the pathways are now in place, there was mud ……. lots of mud!
This is part of the historical lake which was drained and repaired a couple of years ago. Once refilled, it will be linked by a stream-side walk to a brand new lake located by the main welcome building. And according to our volunteer guide Lesley, who was absolutely brilliant and a mine of information, the sign below announcing the original Lake Walk has just been uncovered in the grounds.
We were unable to access the area of the site where the pigs are currently located so here’s a shot of two of the girls from my tour last summer. They all have names and will remain residents of Bridgewater after the grand opening. And they are not apparently destined to fall into the hands of the catering manager!
One of the main reasons I wanted to go on this third tour was to get an early glimpse of the planting. In the Paradise Garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith this is well underway. In this shot you can see the recently planted pleached Ironwood trees (Parrotia Persica), which have stunning winter flowers and beautiful foliage. We were only allowed access to the perimeter of the garden but the progress since my last visit is significant.
The columns of beech that you can see here in the background will add instant height and structure to the rest of the planting. They appear to be the ‘Beehives’ that were an integral part of the RHS Bridgewater garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith at RHS Chelsea last year. We were told that these ‘Beehives’ were also planted in the Welcome Garden along with domes of yew but we only caught a distant glimpse of that area due to the extent of the ongoing construction work.
Below is the first of the Victorian style Glasshouses to be erected in the Paradise Garden which will house heritage peaches, apricots and figs alongside some of the delicate Mediterranean plants.
The old Gardeners Cottage which looks onto the walled Paradise and Kitchen gardens.
A view of the Kitchen Garden and Welcome Building beyond
A peak over the wall to the Wellbeing Garden was the most we could see.
Despite the grey skies it was a very pleasant and informative morning and a big thank you to Lesley our guide for showing us around and sharing so much information on the history of the site and progress of the garden. If you would like to keep up to date with the latest developments at RHS Bridgewater it’s well worth following them on Twitter @Bridgewater or on Facebook.
For my part I can’t wait to return in summer!
