Restored Victorian gardens will reopen to the public next month following an extensive redesign.
One Garden is the new name for the 200-year-old walled gardens at Stanmer Park, which have been lovingly restored over the past two years by Plumpton College.
They were originally due to open last summer – but the pandemic delayed these plans, and a soft opening is now scheduled over the Easter weekend from Friday, 2 April.
The gardens themselves have been designed by Dominic Cole, who worked on the Eden Project, and have been split into small zones meant to echo Brighton’s typically small urban gardens.
One garden will also honour a Canadian tank regiment which was stationed at Stanmer during the Second World War, and will feature plans such as the staghorn sumach, cascade barberry and serviceberry native to North America.
Alongside the gardens, there will be a garden nursery, a food shop, a cafe, and an events lawn where music, plays and comedy can be staged.
Plumpton College’s marketing manager Liz Mouland said: “It’s been a long time coming. We were hoping to open last summer, but the lockdown inevitably put delays on the construction work.
“Because of covid there’s not going to be this massive big event but we just want Brighton to be able to enjoy it.
“In the summer, we would hope to have a big opening event and hopefully we’ll have a whole summer’s worth of events.
“It’s about bringing more people in from the community, and the region, with a education and community focus.”
Community meeting rooms have been created in a listed barn just outside the walled garden, and the restaurant has been built against the original garden wall.
The original Victorian gardener’s cottage and what were once council offices now houses classrooms for the college.
In the centre, fresh produce is grown in a large greenhouse and kitchen gardens, some of which is sold in a shop next door, and some of which will be used by the kitchens.
The shop will also sell produce from other local companies, such as Red Roaster, Ditchling Gin, Bluebell Tea and Plumpton’s own wines.
Beyond the kitchen gardens, a lawn has been created to stage live music, open air cinema, theatre, weddings and other events.
Finally, a gravelled area has been set aside for food vans and other markets.
Although no dates can be set in stone, it’s hoped the restaurant will be able to open from April 12, and open air events can take place in the summer.
This month, One Garden applied for an licence allowing its shop to sell alcohol from 8.30am to 1.30am and for the cafe to serve alcohol to customers until 1am.
The application says: “At the heart of the garden, our kitchen will be a destination eatery and meeting place, serving high quality, seasonal dishes inspired by the garden itself and other local produce.
“Our large market area will champion many local producers. It will stock a range of baked goods, deli items and gifts as well as Plumpton Estate wine and cheese and ingredients tasted in the kitchen.”
The application also says there will be pop-up shops, food and craft fairs, farmers markets, masterclasses and concerts, educational workshops and school visits.
Let us hope they can get the parking problem sorted out there. Brighton and Hove Council have not gone out of there way to make it the most inviting of areas. And it is not exactly the ideal place to walk to, from other parts of the city. And we are not all cyclists, no matter what they seem to pretend. So, if more visitors are expected there, they had better ensure that public transport is able to cope.
Falmer station is right beside Stanmer park, and there are several major bus routes past it.
that’s true. But these public transport points are around 1.5 miles (or 30 minutes) walk away from the attraction. So the majority of visitors are still likely to arrive by car. Indeed they have to as this is the main way that the council aims to make this financially viable, requiring over 1/2 million pounds of parking revenue a year to pay for staff and resources at Stanmer park
..which is of little use to most people who don’t live near a train station or on the bus route or have the time to spend an hour getting there plus an hour getting back. And then there’s the cost of travel say for a family of 4.
You will now have to pay to park at Stanmer. Despite objections, this is being turned from a park for families/exercise into a theme park. So, if you have the money, you should be able to park as most regulars/dog walkers/families are priced out of visiting…..
Remember if you have to pay fines for any transgression then that law is only for poor people. likewise if you can only visit by car then the destination is only for those with a disposable income.
Looked a bit of a corporate design job on the website, to be expected from a modern corporate college in this privatised education age I guess. Missed a real trick- if it had been built by a quirky independent team allied with someone well organised it would have character and not look like a garden centre crossed with one of those green McDonalds in a nice area.