NEW ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY GARDEN

[ranunculus]

New RHS garden announced

22 OCT 2015

The RHS is to create new Fifth Garden in Salford by bringing back to life lost historic grounds at Worsley New Hall.

The RHS is unveiling plans to create a stunning new 63 hectare (156 acre) garden in the heart of the North West - by bringing back to life the lost historic grounds at Worsley New Hall in Salford. Horticultural highlights will include the restoration of the four hectare (ten acre) Walled Kitchen Garden, one of the largest in the UK. Plans also include a new schools Learning Centre to grow young people’s horticultural knowledge.

The fifth garden will be named RHS Garden Bridgewater, and is planned to open in 2019 as part of the Society's wider, ten-year £100 million investment programme to achieve its Vision to enrich everyone's lives through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.

As a result of collaboration between the RHS, Peel Land and Property and Salford City Council, the ambitious landscape and horticultural aspirations for RHS Garden Bridgewater will create a major new destination garden which aims to welcome and inspire one million people a year within a decade.

RHS Garden Bridgewater will join the Society's current portfolio of gardens at Wisley in Surrey; Hyde Hall in Essex; Rosemoor in Devon and Harlow Carr in Yorkshire. RHS Director General, Sue Biggs, said:  'We always thought it would take us a long time to find the ideal site for our Fifth Garden, but with its beautiful landscapes, good public transport links and outstanding location, Worsley New Hall was an opportunity we couldn’t miss.'

Commenting on the plans, broadcaster and RHS Vice President, Alan Titchmarsh MBE, said: 'The development of the RHS’ new fifth Garden will be the biggest hands-on gardening project the charity will have undertaken in its 211-year history. Watching how RHS Garden Bridgewater takes shape and grows is going to be fascinating, especially some of the major restoration projects like the Walled Kitchen Garden. Everyone deserves access to beautiful landscapes and glorious gardens, and for people living in Manchester and Salford, having an RHS Garden on your doorstep is a real horticultural treat.' 


Breathing new life
Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart said: 'The RHS plan to bring Worsley New Hall back to life and create a new garden of national and historical significance in Salford is exciting news for the city and the North West. This ambitious project is testimony to the city’s continued transformation.

'As City Mayor I am pleased to embrace another key moment for the city which will secure enormous economic and environmental benefits.'

John Whittaker, Chairman of The Peel Group said: 'We’re very excited about the RHS creating such a beautiful and inspiring destination garden on the fringes of the city. The RHS is perfect to bring this area to life and the Fifth Garden will leave an incredible legacy for the people of Salford.'

[ranunculus]

Wonderful and exciting news … but, why oh why must the RHS always try to recreate a relic from the past?  Are they trying to be the National Trust of horticulture?  If this walled kitchen garden still existed and could be preserved then that would be an admirable venture, but, to be frank, there are already a number of walled kitchen gardens around the country and it seems folly to recreate yet another, when there are so many new, vibrant and exciting projects that could be undertaken.  Surely the RHS can work with garden designers of the caliber of Keith Wiley, Peter Korn and the like to create a world first, a horticultural wonder that would excite and attract the gardeners of the world?  I, for one, won't travel the twelve miles to Salford to see another walled kitchen garden but, in contrast, I dashed hotfoot to Tromso in arctic Norway to visit their much heralded and incredibly beautiful arctic-alpine garden.   I don't just say this as an alpine enthusiast, but as a well-travelled horticultural enthusiast who has enjoyed innovative and unusual gardens around the world.  The Eden Project welcomes guests from around the world as, of course, do Wisley, Harlow Carr and the other RHS ventures … but will people travel from New Zealand, Europe and the States to see broccoli growing in the heart of Salford?

[Maggi Young]

I would be very surprised if that were the case, Cliff.  Most people with a burning interest in broccoli can see it closer to home!

I personally have grave doubts about the RHS and it's claims to be committed to the UK as a whole.

Leaving aside the (to me, obvious) point that gardens are living things and, as such, an attempt to maintain or recreate an historic scheme is always going to be, at best, flawed, I had  (more in hope than expectation, admittedly) harboured a hope that a fifth RHS garden might truly be somewhere  in the UK that was at least a little north of Harlow Carr.

In spite of the valiant efforts of those nurseries and gardens who enter "partnership" arrangements with the RHS for  "joint" ventures/events - which seldom seem to bring any real benefit to anyone other than the RHS who can vaunt these as  collaborative projects - and some recent  attempts to have RHS involvement with schools etc in the central belt of Scotland - any RHS "presence" in the north of England and Scotland is pretty minimal.

In the early days of the "Strahtclyde" show, which was touted as something that would become the "Chelsea of the North"  the RHS  suggestion was that it would be involved for , I think 5 years as a starter project - they were gone after two.

Now there is the Gardening Scotland Show  - with much involvement of RHS judges etc  ( it's nice to visit Scotland in May/June  - or am I being too cycnical here?)  but the show is run by  an event company  with links to the Royal Caledonian Hort. Society.

Veteran TV  garden programme presenter  Jim MacColl has worked for years on  an attempt to breathe life into a "Garden for Scotland" project - a site was even found and secured, but nothing has ever come of that.

I have been interested to see various comments about  Manchester  "not being too far away from the midlands" - where it seems some hoped for a new garden to be situated. To that I can only comment, that Manchester is a darn long way from Inverness!

[David Nicholson]

And to cap it all they give it a confusing name (with Bridgwater, Somerset).

[Giles]

Bridgwater, David. Not that it helps.

[David Nicholson]

Spot on Giles, e by gum

[johnralphcarpenter]

Isn't the Bridgewater Canal in Cheshire?

[ranunculus]

It is, John … and it provides the name for this area near Worsley Old Hall.

[ranunculus]

An interesting link …

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salfords-bloom-worsley-new-hall-10315594