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Islay House Walled Garden, Bridgend, Isle of Islay The Islay House Walled Garden had been gifted to a local voluntary gardening group, who maintained & cultivated small areas within the garden. The gardens had once been extensive with a formal network of paths & hedges overlooked by a linear glasshouse. The garden had been badly neglected over time and was now bare, with the glasshouse reduced to a ruin. The existing stone perimeter wall defined the site visually & physically, adding a sense of mystery on approach and an element of surprise on arrival, while providing shelter & protection. Level changes within an undulating topography created variety in terms of views & perspective, but posed complications in terms of disabled access. Circulation around the full extent of the garden was prohibited at points by fencing and undergrowth. There was a lack of planting as well as a lack of storage & services. The gardening group asked Dualchas to look at some options; the brief was completely open. Dualchas proposed staged construction as dictated by funding: Phase A Make entire garden accessible & plant up all areas as far as possible to enliven garden. Reconstruct glasshouse to its original state & create a living exhibition / educational facility inside. Construct new visitor / community centre - a building to provide heated indoor space for relaxing, eating & drinking, incorporating a working kitchen for children to come & learn about cooking. Construct ramping circulation route around glasshouse & visitor centre with vegetable terraces for displaying veg & plants for sale. Rationalise planting layout and circulation paths around cultivated areas. Phase B Construct ramped perimeter walkway. Build service units around the perimeter wall incorporating shelter, storage & seating. Phase C Complete landscaping. Construct terraced educational gardens focusing on the seasons, shelter, sun & shade, colour, density, height, life cycle, pollination etc. |
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