Standen Revival: Recreating Mrs Beale’s Garden
The five year £500,000 project aimed to recreate the garden at Standen to reflect its heyday in the 1920s, to tell the story of Mrs Beale’s garden, and to restore the ‘Spirit of Place’.
Phase 1 – October 2012 to July 2013
Installation of Electricity, Drainage & Irrigation
Run electricity out into the garden for items such as water pumps and electrical tools but also for lighting and events.
Rebuild and improve the drainage throughout the garden and wherever possible utilise this water in conjunction with the new irrigation system.
Extend and improve the current irrigation to use rainwater collected and stored within the garden.
Plant Labelling
Reintroduce a range of appropriate labels to plants, taking into account modern methods and the potential for interactive services.
Replacing signage at the end of the drive, making this area look more rural.
Improving the whole area from the cottages down to the main gates, including opening up and replanting in front of the rocks, rebuilding the edging to the drive and rebuilding the walls around the stable yard.
Reinstatement of the line of lime trees together with repairs to the sandstone wall, resurfacing the path, rebuilding edging and replanting the narrow border under the wall.
Work to reduce the impact of the tarmac surfaces, extension of the tea garden, bringing in agricultural style features, repairs to paths, new planting in the cottage garden, and rewiring of the walls around the green to support the fruit trees that are growing there.
Phase 2 – September 2013 – July 2015
Completion of the work already started in this area; planting the two borders adjacent to the house walls and reinstating the wiring on the walls for training plants.
Sandstone edging to all of the borders.
Also work to improve the standard of the little orchard above.
A major replanting project after clearance of the existing shrubs and trees to reinstate the planting from Cheal’s original 1910 design.
Also repairs to the terrace wall, in particular the coping stones.
Rebuilding the sandstone edging, replanting and rewiring of the house walls, to include work to the sandstone wall at the northern end and minor works to the Acer bed.
Some resurfacing of the terrace will also be required.
Extending the Kitchen Garden to as much of its former range as possible (this may continue over the following couple of years). This will increase the amount of produce available to supply the restaurant and to sell to visitors.
Repairs to the pond and cascades, including laying electricity to the site.
Replanting around the garden and reinstatement of rose beds and trellis work.
Shelterbelt
Much of this will be carried out in conjunction with the work to the Top Terrace and will include clearance of a large amount of cherry laurel, replanting with more appropriate and more interesting trees and opening up of new paths, including one to the top of the rocks.
Hydrangea Path
Work to the southern side of the main lawn, including planting, resurfacing path and rebuilding stone steps down to the farm track.
Rebuilding low sandstone walls and improving 1970’s drainage.
Clearing the overgrowth of cherry laurel and holly and reinstating more appropriate planting, increasing the range of wildflowers and ensuring the views from this area are reinstated (some of the most important on the property).
Work to the borders around the lawn, rebuilding the sandstone walls which used to terrace the borders, repairs to the summerhouse, rebuilding the path and pergola which used to run along the eastern edge and remedial works to the lawn itself.
Lower Terrace
Rebuilding the brick wall between the House and Lower Terrace and replacement of the Webb designed trellis.
Subsequently replanting the lower terrace as an herbaceous border mixing old and new plants and providing one of the most spectacular plant combinations in the garden.
Phase 3 – September 2015 – July 2017
Fruit Garden (Orchard)
Work to improve wild flower bank, develop our beehives replace fruit trees as necessary and reinstatement of the path between the secret pond and croquet lawn (if not already done as part of earlier work on paths around the garden).
Top Path
Work from the back of the stable yard to the Top Terrace, major replanting of woodland type species, new path surface – including replacing 1990’s drainage on upper section of path, edging and new rock garden areas as historically appropriate.
Rebuilding of steps and paths, reinstatement of planting taking into account modern conditions but also historical importance, replacement rocks as needed to replace those lost due to erosion.
Rhododendron Dell
Removal of invasive bamboo, replacement of holly hedge and fence, introduction of new appropriate rhododendron varieties.
Rebuilding of low wall and steps.
Major improvements to the garden entrance, rewiring of the walls of the house, rebuilding of sandstone edges, steps and resurfacing of paths.
Farm Track
Rejuvenation of existing planting and new appropriate planting, new surface with drainage, new sandstone edging either side and new iron park fencing along either side.
Camellia Steps
Rebuilding of steps in a more sympathetic finish, major replanting throughout this area.
Remedial works to the lawn and new edging.
Complete renovation of the bed around the Tulip Tree and Katsura Tree.
Repairs to the Ha Ha wall.