Thousands visit historic Bushey Rose Garden funded by Heritage Lottery Fund and Hertsmere Borough Council
4:21pm Tuesday 18th January 2011
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An historic Grade II listed garden in severe disrepair was on the verge of being forgotten when it was closed to the public in Bushey five years ago.
Six months after a £1.5million restoration however, The Bushey Rose Garden, in Herkomer Road, has been visited more than 20,000 times.
A Friends of the Rose Garden committee has been established in that time, along with a steering group, and events there to date have included outdoor concerts, plays and art classes.
Chairman of the Friends group, Lynn Hodgson, said: “I was astonished to hear the visitor numbers. It gives the village a centre, a heart, and has contributed to the sense of community here.
“It is nice to have a bit of history surviving – it gives character to the area and that is what people want when they live somewhere.”
More than 10,000 bulbs have been planted in the garden, which was restored through a £1million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and cash from Hertsmere Borough Council.
Hugh Lewis, of the Bushey Museum, said visitor numbers have been boosted as people look to find out more about the garden’s history.
The site was owned by the famous painter, Sir Hubert von Herkomer, who ran an art school on it from 1883 to 1904.
He commissioned a project to famous landscape designer Thomas Mawson early in the 20th Century, resulting in the original garden.
This was closed in 2006 but was officially re-opened to the public after the painstakingly-detailed restoration on July 24, 2010.
Mr Lewis said: “The garden project has been about increasing awareness of our heritage in Bushey. I think it has been a great success – it is a nice place to go and walk but that apart it is
stepping things up in the village.”
The garden is listed in the English Heritage register of parks and gardens of special historic interest and houses more than 500 roses.
Fiona Leadley, landscape design officer at Hertsmere Borough Council, oversaw the restoration project, which will have been completed exactly
six months ago on Monday, January 24.
She said: “We have been overwhelmed by the response from the public. We wanted to bring the garden back to Bushey after hearing residents’ lovely memories of it and I think we have achieved that.
“We are inviting schools to take outdoor classes here when the weather gets better and hopefully we can continue the success we have seen so far.”
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