Stoke-on-Trent’s Story of Transformation
The inspiration for this garden is the story of Stoke-on-Trent’s journey from its rich industrial past to its present incarnation as a vibrant, modern city.
A skeleton of a pottery bottle kiln dominates the rear of the plot, representing the city’s heritage. In contrast, a sunken seating area occupies a prominent position at the front of the garden to promote the contemporary living spaces being created in the city.
Water, surfacing and planting are used to tell a story of change through contrasts of order and disorder, a metaphor for the transforming, contemporary city. The planting colour palette is dominated by apricot, soft orange, copper and bronze with contrasting shades of burgundy, deep purple, lime green and cream.
Contributors to the garden are Aquila Design, Border Aggregates, British Ceramics Biennial Ltd, Staffordshire University, David Austin Roses, Fountains & Features Ltd, Genr8 Developments, Halfpenny Green Vineyards, Hardscape, GelFireplaces.com, Johnson Tiles, Lorenz von Ehren, William Mellard & Sons Ltd, Silva Timber Products, Staffordshire Housing Association, The Trentham Estate, W.Moorcroft Ltd, Worfield Gardens Wholesale Nursey, PCT Engineering Ltd, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and ANS Group (Europe).