Bushey Rose Garden – a year on

For those who didn't know, tucked away alongside a church in Bushey, you will find a rose garden - a haven of tranquillity waiting to be discovered.

Bushey Rose Garden a year after its £1.5m restoration © Ray Hardinge 2011

The 100-year-old site, which is just over an acre in size, was brought back to life last year after becoming overgrown and vandalised. And since the council’s £1.5m restoration project, made possible by grants from the Heritage Lottery and Big Lottery Fund, the garden has welcomed more than 35,000 visitors and hosted numerous events from children’s storytelling to musical performances and art exhibitions. Recently the garden received a prestigious Green Flag Award, a sign it is among the best green spaces in the country, as well as a Green Heritage Award, which has only been given to one other site in Hertfordshire.

But it's not just a beautiful rose garden, it’s also a site of great historic importance as it was created by the famous landscape designer Thomas Mawson (1861-1933), who later went on to become the first president of the Landscape Institute in 1929 and has left a legacy of gardens, parks and town planning worldwide. So, among the thousands of pretty roses, perennials and climbing plants, there are also several Grade II listed structures. And even before it was a garden, the site was used as an art school, ran by the eminent Victorian artist, Sir Hubert von Herkomer (1849-1914).

The garden is free to enjoy and located off the High Street in Bushey and there is also access via Herkomer Road. The garden is open daily from 7.30am to 7pm until the end of September, and 7.30am to 4pm from October to March.

There are more photos on our Facebook page or for more information call 0800 731 1810.