Caversham Court Gardens Restoration

We are delighted to be able to announce that work on restoring Caversham Court Gardens will commence in September 2008.

To allow the restoration works to be completed as efficiently and safely as possible in a relatively small space, the gardens will be closed to the public from Monday, September 1st and will be re-opened late Spring 2009.

Allotments holders who have a plot within the gardens will be able to gain access to the site from The Warren via the renovated gardeners' access in the old heated wall.

A notice board will be put up outside the main gates for the duration of the works, so that local residents can keep abreast with what is happening.

Guided tours will be arranged during the course of the works. These will be advertised in the local press, and on the works notice board, with information on how to book a place.

Key features of the restoration

The Council's parks team has been working with consultants on finalising plans for the project for many months and have come up with a scheme which will not only enhance the historic garden's original features but also introduce new planting and new services for public use.

Highlights of the restoration project include repairing the 17th and 19th Century features of the garden, including the gazebo and its causeway, the crinkle-crankle retaining wall and the ancient yew family.

A garden feature that shows the outline of the footprints of the medieval and later 19th Century house will provide place for seating and informal play, as well as being a focal point for the top terrace.

The toilet bock will be remodelled to include two public toilets, baby-change facilities and a kiosk for serving teas.

Caversham Court's gazebo will be used to house historical information as well as a Living History Project, featuring memories from the gardens which can be preserved for visitors to see. Anyone with memories of the house or gardens in their hey-day or during their decline is invited to contact the Parks Department via the contact details at the top of this page.

Friends of Caversham Court Gardens

The Friends of Caversham Court Gardens was inaugurated in January 2008. Their aims include seeking to ensure that the peaceful character of Caversham Court is preserved, and protecting its fabric, its plants and its wildlife for all to enjoy, as well as raising awareness of its history and importance as a garden listed in the English Heritage Gardens Register. If you would like to play a part in the evolution of Caversham Court Gardens, come and join The Friends. Membership costs £1.00 per person this year – contact friendsofcavershamcourt@googlemail.com or Friends of Caversham Court Gardens, c/o Head Gardener's office, Caversham Court Gardens, Church Road, Caversham RG4 7AG

What has been happening in the Gardens?

Head gardener

Emily Waters began work as the head gardener on 1 April 2008. Her first job was at Hilliers Garden Centres followed by experience with Creative Landscapes in Twyford, where she did soft landscaping and set up their Big Plant Nursery. From there she went to work at the Chelsea Physick Garden which had been founded in 1673 to training apothecary apprentices to identify plants. It was then that she won a place on the prestigious Kew diploma course. The course highlight for Emily was to study plants in Ecuador, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands. With her Kew diploma, Emily worked at in the gardens of Friar Park, Henley, before coming to Caversham Court.

Horticulture

Over the past few months, the work has focused on getting the gardens ready for the main restoration works. Lawn renovation has begun, and many tons of manure spread around the gardens to improve the soil.

Ecology

We have worked hard to improve the ecology of Caversham Court. Over the past year, the ecological zones within the kitchen and western gardens have been extended to include a mini meadow, insect hotel and nectar bank. The conservation group CROW (Conserving Reading on Wednesdays) and a student from the university worked with the head gardener on researching and creating the insect habitats. CROW has also installed several bird boxes.

This year's work extends previous ecological improvements. Three very large compost bins have been built within the allotments site to allow us to produce compost on site from the garden waste. An additional leaf mould pile has been created ready for the autumn leaves. Leaf mould and compost, when added to the soil, improve the quality of soil structure and nutrient levels. This results in healthier plants with larger flowers. Producing our own compost on site also reduces the carbon footprint of the gardens.

To improve the biodiversity of the site we have created a loggery, which is still growing! and a wild life pond. The restoration plans include capturing and storing rainwater from the roof buildings to be used for irrigation.

Community Work, Work Placements and Probation Services

In order to implement a Living History Project we have liaised with local historians and elderly residents to build a picture of their memories of Caversham Court, the house, the park in its hey-day, the decline & the restoration.

In addition to the work done with CROW, a Corporate Challenge group from the Oracle Corporation came to Caversham Court and helped us to plant 3,000 snowdrops.Horticultural therapy plots and raised beds have been created within the allotment site for local residents with disabilities to use.

We have had one work experience placement via Reading Youth and Community Services.

The gardens have benefited from regular visits from the Probation Service, and one individual placement from Probation for five days during the summer.

If you have any questions about these proposals, please use the Contact This Service form at the top right of this page.

Downloads

PDF

Some of the following documents are in pdf format. You can download and install a free PDF reader to enable you to read and print them. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Reader from the Adobe website.

File	Type	Size	Download Time
Access Strategy	PDF	573 KB	56Kbps Modem: 2 Minutes Broadband : 11 Seconds
Audience Development Plan	PDF	337 KB	56Kbps Modem: 1 Minute Broadband : 6 Seconds
Education Interpretation Strategy	PDF	339 KB	56Kbps Modem: 1 Minute Broadband : 6 Seconds
Tree Strategy	PDF	350 KB	56Kbps Modem: 1 Minute Broadband : 7 Seconds
Management Maintenance Plan	PDF	1,816 KB	56Kbps Modem: 7 Minutes Broadband : 37 Seconds
Rainwater Harvesting Plan	PDF	441 KB	56Kbps Modem: 1 Minute Broadband : 9 Seconds
Soft Landscaping Designs	PDF	2,210 KB	56Kbps Modem: 9 Minutes Broadband : 45 Seconds
Project Progress 19th Nov - 19th Jan	PDF	16 KB	56Kbps Modem: 3 Seconds Broadband : 1 Second
Project Progress 3rd-18th November	PDF	15 KB	56Kbps Modem: 3 Seconds Broadband : 1 Second
Project Progress February 09	PDF	14 KB	56Kbps Modem: 3 Seconds Broadband : 1 Second

External Links

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Link	Description
National Lottery Heritage Fund	National Lottery Heritage Fund website