Preservation of design 'inspiration'
29 May 2012
An archive of garden design drawings, manuscripts and photographs donated by the leading gardeners and garden designers of the 20th century, is at the centre of ambitious plans to expand the Garden Museum in London.
The Museum says it is anxious to preserve the legacy of living garden designers who are still working, many of whom are reaching the end of their careers, to safeguard what it calls the 'spirit and inspiration' of modern design masterpieces for posterity.
The Museum is doubling the area it has available for displays, collections and education – and part of the expansion will be a space for storing, studying and displaying the archive.
To accompany the papers and documents, specially-commissioned film portraits will reflect the personalities and working methods of each designer. The first is of John Brookes MBE, whose highly influential career spans the last 50 years. He has already donated his papers to the archive along with Penelope Hobhouse, pioneering vegetable grower Joy Larkcom and Dominic Cole, lead designer for the Eden Project in Cornwall. It's hoped other iconic figures in gardening such as Tom Stuart-Smith and Beth Chatto will also contribute.