hile the pavilion had attracted funding , the Entrance Way scheme as proposed by Land Use Consultants , connecting the building to the museum itself , was struggling . Our initial role was to devise a ‘ marketable ’ design to attract funding . Our proposals replaced the previous scheme of a lift and steps , with a ramped route representing a journey into the garden , the paths forming a multi-use amphitheatre space . This scheme was awarded funding and the ‘ missing link ’ to the building was realised . Signiicantly , we engaged with the volunteer group who worked alongside the contractor to the west of the garden , creating the community space and orchard area from a ‘ how-to ’ handbook we produced . Throughout the implementation of the project we worked in collaboration with our client team including artist Cleo Mussi , who donated many of the plants from her garden , our consultants and contractor .

The museum now has a living experience for their visitors and a space in which to educate and entertain throughout the seasons . The town has its very own secret garden , crammed full of beautiful , colourful plants , fully accessible and free to visit throughout the year ; something quite unique to the area . This garden is contemporary in feel yet domestic in scale , with many attributes of a private garden . In terms of displaying what landscape architecture can achieve in a public realm it is very diferent to the more usual town square or parking scheme and would elevate the profession in terms of garden design .

Rachel Emous-Austin

It has exceeded the brief and our clients have found many more uses for the garden and pavilion than they could have imagined . Sustainability and robustness have been considered when choosing materials for the scheme and includes ; local sweet chestnut for the benches , re-use of the old stone pavers and new limestone sourced from France and copper detailing to match the building which is fully recyclable . The orchard trees are heritage varieties and sourced from Gloucestershire Orchard Trust , under-sown with wildlower mix , the majority of herbaceous plants have been donated from the Stroud area . All craftspeople were local to the area .

The problem of getting safely and elegantly from the museum entrance to the pavilion , a height of 3.5m , within a relatively small space was a challenge . Additionally , we were designing a scheme with no funding at the time and a very high spec brief to match the pavilion . Financial control was a huge consideration when designing the space . However , we encouraged

our client to spend some money on an electrical supply circuit which would future proof the garden . Money was found to implement the sensitive lighting scheme , and the garden is now being used for evening events and corporate entertainment ; providing the museum with a much needed additional income stream , allowing them to remain a free venue .

Visitors to the garden audibly express a sense of awe when entering the space for the irst time . They continue to visit to see the planting evolve through the seasons ; taking ideas away to recreate at home . The garden has become a real community resource that will continue to develop for years to come .

The real joy of this project has been to work with our client ’ s team , and a host of stakeholders and volunteers , to develop and evolve their project through the challenges of funding , detailing and procurement to deliver a completed project which ofers far more than was thought possible at the outset .