The Peter Buckley Learning Centre
Bringing the joy of gardening to everyone
The Peter Buckley Learning Centre at Rosemoor was officially opened by Alan Titchmarsh in April 2011 and over the last academic year, September 2011 – July 2012 we have taught more than 5,200 schoolchildren. The children are mainly of primary school age, but we are also used increasingly by pre-schools, children’s centres and secondary schools.
More on school visits to Rosemoor
Seasonal workshops throughout the year
The workshops vary according to the time of year, so in the autumn term, our themes are autumn colours and collage, apples, seeds and Christmas decorations made from things we find in the woods, as well as the year-round topics of soils, weaving and dyeing with plants, trees, the senses, woodland minibeasts and pond-dipping. In the spring and summer terms we move onto propagation , growing vegetables, natural sculptures, maps, papermaking and foodchains.
To coincide with our three-month Quentin Blake exhibition, we taught a very popular art workshop. It included a visit to our exhibition, learning how to use watercolours to paint a picture of our new children’s play area – Rosemoor’s Green Ship, inspired by the book by Quentin Blake, and simple sketches of garden visitors to make a story board. Quentin has kindly allowed us to reproduce the exhibition pictures for school visits, so we can continue this workshop in future terms.
In May 2012, Princess Alexandra opened a Cob Shelter, Forest garden and Community Plots which complete the education area, and offers shelter and productive learning areas to children and adults alike.
About the building
The building has been designed by Devon-based ecological architects Gale and Snowdon.
Its features include two large classrooms; a teaching garden with a vegetable patch, a sensory garden and a pond and indoor practical areas and cooking space for teaching pupils how to prepare the food they grow.