Alison Wessely
The design reflects on the journey that is taken through bereavement, it honours memory and attempts to enable the healing journey. Its focus is to create a place where Nature’s forces in a garden setting can serve as a powerful recuperative image. This aim supports the biophillia hypothesis that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and nature. Aspects from the history of the site, poetic and classical inspiration, architectural influences and strong symbolism of many features, entwine with themes, to invite the visitor to linger and sense a personal connection with the surroundings.
The proposed new landscape, when seen as a whole, represents the stages that a human takes to regain emotional strength after loss, and how art, history and nature so poignantly tap into emotions. A number of elements are brought together to reflect the sites historic past as well as those that embrace contemporary design and their methods.
The journey through the garden can begin at the south eastern end to take in the opportunity to visit the existing memorial garden which is to be brightened with a light colour palette of plants. Stepping stones leading up to this area indicate the informality of this area and a gentle respect that minimum intervention has been taken so as not to disturb what is a consecrated area. The octagonal gazebo that will be a stunning addition in the beautiful setting of this garden and will undoubtedly draw many more couples who are keen to ‘tie the knot’ in the future! Its siting is set away from the fine old Cedar and is in direct line with the Holm oak at the opposite north west end of the garden.
There is now plenty of room for socialising and celebrating around this classically designed structure. The human spirit is moved by the view of entwining paths and a gentle stream meandering together and falling naturally with the lie of the land towards the new memorial garden. The visitor on this journey passes the ‘source’ of water bubbling over an old piece of stone and onto beach pebbles reminiscent of the shore close by. The water symbolising purity of spirit and rebirth. The soft thoughtful planting has been chosen to tolerate the resident deer population, afternoon shade and maritime climate.
The massed foreground plantings of evergreen and deciduous ground covering plants with the emphasis on low maintenance and coloured foliage, with various textural effects, hug and spill onto the compacted sandy coloured gravel path. There are three benches, three junction points with selected large lumps of stone and three low brick and flint walls to slow the visitors pace so to enable time for sitting and quiet reflection. Verses of poetry inscribed on the stone can be read, personal mementos can be placed into glass bottles carefully installed into the walls so to offer a grieving family member an opportunity to memorialise their loved one here in this garden.
The walls have been skilfully built in a serpentine style to evoke the shape of an acanthus leaf, a classical and traditional addition to memorial sites. The power of three is a symbolic representation of the unity of the human spirit and is used here to connect many of the design decisions. As the visitor passes the majestic oak trees, large areas of naturalised spring and summer bulbs can be seen planted around trees as well as contemporary memorials to loved ones inscribed on polished mirror steel which has been shaped to the contour of the cut face of an oak log. This ‘mirror’ reflects the canopy of the tree above and the sky above that.
Towards the open memorial area leaving the wooded area and end of the stream behind, winter flowering cherry trees brighten up dark days and inspire and uplift the spirit with the abundant blossom seen from November to March. Semi circular benches, whose shape echo the Italianate inspired style windows close by, affording intimacy for families to sit together. They are placed each side of the triquetra, an ancient pagan symbol. This shape is laid out in a mosaic, using tonal colours of black and white pebbles.
In the centre is a sensitively designed statue, this represents all encompassing care and trust; emotive words that hopefully sum up how we are cared for and protected by loved ones and also by the dutiful community members of the police force. Laurel (Laurus nobilis) the plant that is pictured in the emblem of the Hampshire constabulary inspires poetry and trust so is aptly used here as an evergreen scented hedge wrapping around each of the curved benches offering a wind break and privacy. Hampshire County’s flower, Rosa Canina grows informally along the path heading towards the second entrance/exit to the garden and offers some natural enclosure and all year round interest away from the rest of the garden.
