Green Spaces Project of
the Month
August
2003 - The Clovelly
Centre Garden, Southampton
Contact:
Plincke Landscape Ltd.
(London & South-East) tel. 020 7631
5324
Plincke Landscape
Ltd. (South & South West ) tel. 01962
842828
Plincke Landscape Ltd. (Midlands &
North) ) tel. 01926 886477
Understanding the multi-cultural
use of space.
The common perception of Hampshire is
one of a prosperous county, with a
largely middle-class, white population.
This ignores the evidence that it has
within its urban centres such as
Southampton; considerable number of
people living in economically and
socially deprived communities. This also
includes those from different ethnic
backgrounds. In 1997 the Southampton
Environment Centre established The
Shannon project, as a way of bringing the
message of sustainable development and
social justice to individuals at a
community level. Small scale, grassroots
projects help to promote environmental
awareness, encouraging local communities
to enhance and take pride in their
outdoor surroundings, thus improving the
quality of their lives. The success of
these small projects lies in the ease
with which local people can manage them,
thereby realising a sense of ownership,
without the bureaucratic intervention
often unavoidable with larger schemes.
One such project was achieved at The
Clovelly Centre, a focal point for local
Asian people close to the centre of
Southampton. The city's historic Central
parks are nearby, but they are not much
frequented by members of the Asian
community, the cultural ethos, for women
in particular, being that they prefer to
remain close to the intimacy of their
homes, rather than negotiate busy roads
and subways to visit the parks. The
Clovelly Centre is situated in a
high-density area of Victorian terraced
houses many of which are visibly in need
of repair and restoration. The Centre's
location, created from a bomb-site, which
opened up a gap in the dense grid of
housing, was an uninspiring one: mown
grass and concrete so often the only
landscape to be found in urban areas.
Help with the creation of a garden was
sought from Hampshire Gardens Trust, a
voluntary organisation and educational
charity, which look for opportunities to
create new community gardens in urban
areas. In consultation with local people,
the Trust produced a design for the
garden that grew out of cultural
references; in particular inspiration was
drawn from the flowing and colourful
saris of traditional Asian dress, which
so brightly contrasts with the Victorian
houses. This colour and movement was
translated into brightly planted borders
for the south-facing street front of the
Centre. At the rear, features include a
seating and barbecue area, with a play
space for toddlers, and a woven willow
tunnel to encourage exploration and
contact with wildlife. A pergola provides
shade from the sun and a mosaic is
proposed when funds permit Workers from
the `probation Service carried out much
of the garden construction, such as
paving and raised beds.
A second phase of the garden is under
construction that will connect the space
to an adjacent area managed by Age
Concern. The enlarged space will engage
all ages of the community. Again the
design has been based upon cultural
references. These include a screen fence
of woven copper strips which represent
the creation of the sacred River Ganges.
Of equal importance is the subtle
delineation of separate `rooms' within
the gardens. This has been achieved
through the use of pergolas and built
structures as well as planting. This
enables a subtle segregation of the
sexes: still an important consideration
among Asian groups especially those
dealing with the elderly.
The completed garden will act as an
important local focus for events and
activities. Such a venue enables for
cultural expression that helps to build a
strong sense of community through
collective experiences.
Hampshire Gardens Trust was able to
arrange for members of The Clovelly
Centre to visit the Hillier Gardens and
Arboretum, less than half an hour away.
Their guide took them on an exciting tour
of plants from the Asian continent,
inspiring new ideas about plants to use
in the garden. It is also hoped that the
trip also raised a curiosity to explore
the region beyond the city centre.
The Hampshire Gardens Trust and the
Single Regeneration Programme have funded
the project. The landscape designer was
Plincke Landscape Ltd., Winchester. In
spite of its context within a deprived,
urban area, the scheme has suffered
little from vandalism.
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