Hale Chapel Cemetery Memorial Backyard – Farnham, Surrey

When Farnham City Council approached Graduate Landscapes to assist design a communal backyard of their city, we jumped on the probability. Not solely as a result of this was an area city in want of assist, but in addition as a result of the positioning itself had enormous cultural and historic heritage. The derelict buildings on the centre of the cemetery date again to 1871 and have been constructed from flint and brick by native builders ‘Goddards of East Avenue’. Quick ahead to 2014, they have been now turning into unused and deteriorating quick.  Farnham City Council, after partaking with how the area people, explored many choices for his or her use and over time the venture lacked momentum. They wanted inspiration from a inventive {and professional} design studio – us! Harriet Kingsford was assigned to design this venture and she or he stepped as much as the problem.

The temporary was to create a brand new backyard of remembrance within the house for native residents and the broader neighborhood to utilise. Because the buildings had been attracting anti-social behaviour, the backyard wanted to don’t have any locations to cover, be protected for all to make use of and re-use as most of the supplies on website as doable. In the end although, it wanted to be a tranquil surroundings and provides recognition to its previous life as two Chapels.

‘Instantly and on seeing the house, I actually had a light-weight bulb second! To maintain some, if not all the footprint of the buildings, re-using some if not all the supplies onsite, and choosing out essentially the most in-tact and delightful options of the Chapels, and incorporating them into the scheme. In wanting on the stories from the architect who’d undertaken an intensive evaluation of the buildings, I shortly labored out that the peak of the partitions wanted to be lowered and repaired the place applicable. The important thing options such because the gable home windows and the stone mullions, I proposed eradicating and restoring at a safer top with the thought of with the ability to see by means of them at eye stage. With the much less in tact options, I laid flat on the ground and created planting beds in them. ‘ – Harriet Kingsford, backyard designer at Graduate Landscapes.

Farnham City Council appointed Landform to construct the venture, for which we loved the collaboration with. We have been invited again to the grand opening of the neighborhood backyard and have been overjoyed with the end result. The backyard is inviting, peaceable, protected, calming and a nod to the attractive buildings that after stood proud right here. Properly executed Harriet and to all concerned!