Lottery to help Rose Garden bloom

5:26pm Monday 12th May 2008

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After two years of waiting, three boxes of paperwork and countless consultations, Bushey Rose Garden has been awarded a £942,000 Lottery grant, a decision described as the biggest thing to happen to the town in years.

The historic garden, off Herkomer Road, was designed and created by Thomas Mawson in 1912 on the grounds of Sir Hubert von Herkomer's art school, soon becoming one of Bushey's most celebrated features.

Since the 1970s, however, it was a regular target for vandals, persistent damage and theft eventually leading to its partial closure in 2005.

The lottery grant will be used to not only restore the Grade II listed garden, but also to re-invent it as an educational and community centre, eventually hosting performances by local theatre and music groups.

Hertsmere Borough Councillor Brenda Batten, portfolio holder for culture, said: "This is brilliant news.

"It will help us to restore the garden to its historical state and past glory.

"It's going to be a beautiful garden that people from all over will come to."

Council landscape officer Fiona Leadley said she was "over the moon" at the decision, describing the long process of submitting detailed plans and reports to the Lottery Heritage Fund, a process that started in March 2006.

A large bronze plaque identifying the location of the Herkomer art school was stolen from the garden but will be re-made using computer modelling, joining several new information boards detailing the site's history.

Bryen Wood, director of Bushey Museum, said: "I'm enormously happy to hear this.

The garden is a real community asset for the people in Bushey.

"This is the biggest thing to happen in Bushey for a long time. I'm really chuffed."

Planning permission has been granted for CCTV cameras to be placed around the garden, which will help a permanent staff gardener to protect it from future theft and vandalism.

Other plans for the site include the renovation of the currently closed sunken garden, and the addition of a toilet.

Sara Betsworth, Big Lottery Fund head of region for the East of England said: "We are delighted to be able to help the Rose Garden return to the condition of its glory days.

"With the benefits that today's funding will bring, the Rose Garden will certainly become more popular than ever."

As for the garden's roses, even they will be chosen to follow the original design, with planners following early documents listing details of types and species.

Work on the garden is set to start at the beginning of 2009.

For information about the project or to volunteer to help, telephone Fiona Leadley on 0208 207 7519 or visit www.hertsmere.gov.uk