There are plenty of things that make the Churchill Gardens Estate in Westminster a bit special. In 2000 the Civic Trust voted it the outstanding building scheme of the last forty years. When it was built it was the largest urban area to be built to the plans of a single firm of architects. But let’s begin with its founding inspiration.
‘Luxury flats, Pimlico’. The caption and image are taken from a Picture Post article of 1955
Churchill Gardens – the Pimlico Housing Scheme as it was originally designated – was the only major project within the visionary Abercrombie Plan for the post-war reconstruction of London to be completed. Its scale – a 30 acre site, 1661 homes, 36 blocks, a population of some 5000 – and its design gives some indication of the ambition of post-war hopes.
Aerial view, 1960s
Charles Latham, then leader of the London County Council…
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After our visit to Kristopher’s we headed out towards the coast to East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden. ‘Very flat, Norfolk’, as Amanda says to Elyot in Coward’s Private Lives and beyond the city lies an area of open expanses, buffeted by gentle zephyrs from the North Sea and ideal for growing carrots. Forty years ago, Alan Gray and Graham Robeson bought the house at East Ruston and over the decades have created a garden of views and vistas, cleverly borrowing focal points from outside. Shelter belts of Monterey Pine, Italian alder and Eucalyptus have created a microclimate capable of supporting a huge variety of plants in a multitude of garden rooms.
This courtyard had recently been planted out with Aeonium which are overwintered inside.
Sculpture – one created to look like the waterspouts which occur off the coast.
The desert, carved out of the landscape with a JCB.
Two sides of the…
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Picture: digging done at the Lost Gardens of Heligan
‘Come my spade. There is no ancient gentlemen but gardeners, ditchers and grave-makers; they hold up Adam’s profession.’
At the AGM weekend in Norfolk, Bressingham Gardens provided a contrast to the visit to The Harralds, but proved equally fascinating, with interesting vistas throughout. The garden was first developed by Alan Bloom (1906-2005), and opened to the public in 1962, showing the new concept of using perennials in island beds. These island beds are still evident today as historical plantings and newer introductions exist together with the number of distinct varieties now in the region of 8000.
Jaime Blake, Head Gardener and Alan’s son-in-law, gave a highly informative talk about the gardens, in particular the Dell Garden and the techniques they use for managing the perennials and the gardens, to maintain its history and for the future. Bressingham gardens also hold the National Collection of Miscanthus.
What is most striking, apart from the desire to visit the gardens again, is the different views that appeared in the rolling open landscape turn of the garden.
Paeonia ‘Illini Belle’
Seeing perennials in large…
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Our garden visits on Saturday were to two contrasting gardens – one private and one very public. Gill will be telling you about Bressingham Gardens in another post – this one will give you a glimpse into the garden of Janet Sleep, chair and Collections Coordinator of the Norfolk group.
On our way we were told that this garden is remote, even by Norfolk standards, but well worth the trip. Janet welcomed us to The Harralds and provided a map warning us that it is possible to get lost in this garden. Although the header on this post spells the name differently, this was picked up at an antique shop and the house records, which go back to 1850, use the more unusual spelling of the name. 
Along the drive 
The pond 
The borders 
Glasshouse 
Beautifully constructed compost bins 
Shade area 
We could be in a Mediterranean courtyard here.
Plant…
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There is still much work to be accomplished before the complete solution of the housing problem will be in sight. The shortage in numbers is far from being made good; and only when that has been done can an effective beginning be made of the great task of replacing with good dwellings the hundreds of thousands of old ones which have ceased through age, decay, or other reason to be fit for habitation by human families if they are to live a decent life.
The slightly archaic language aside, that statement could apply to many UK cities in the recent past. But it’s actually from the introduction to an account from nearly one hundred years ago of the Progress of the Housing Schemes in Nottingham by the City’s municipal architect. (1) This post…
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How else have Lewis and Clark’s finds made their way to the Academy?
Photography: Cora Rivera.
Nigel Boldero aka 'Old School Gardener'
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