Raising the roof

Sunday 09 February 2020

Work is set to start this month on the construction of a new Gatehouse at the Victorian Walled Kitchen and Garden in Saumarez Park.

The Guernsey Botanical Trust said it was thrilled to get the project started, as the plans have been approved, the builders have been appointed and the site has been cleared for building to get started.

The Victorian Walled Garden was first restored in 2006 by a group of volunteers clearing a derelict site of rubbish including mattresses and rubble that had been dumped on the land. Small trees, shrubs and weeds including Japanese knotweed and bindweed also had to be removed.

The GBT was created and volunteers started work on renovating the site as well as raising money for their project. 

Pictured: To get things off the ground, the GBT are taking a phased approach to the construction. 

After a slew of other improvements, fundraising for the Gatehouse started in 2017 with a Raise the Roof campaign, with donations and support coming from all around the island.

The plans will see the Gatehouse provide a multifunctional space housing ‘La Choppe’, a crew room for the volunteers, secure storage as well as a learning and heritage centre. This will enable the volunteers to deliver "educational programmes that support many areas of our community, to an even higher standard," they said.

Pictured: The Garden before restoration began in 2005. 

Right now, the GBT does not have all the money it needs for the project though. To overcome this, its volunteers decided to adopt a phased approach to the Gatehouse, with phase one of contraction getting the building to an air and watertight state, which is expected to take six months. 

For phase two to get off the ground, fund raising efforts will have to continue. 

A spokesperson for the VWKG said: "We would like to thank everyone who has supported us with their kind generosity and we look forward to welcoming you to the garden later in the year to see what will be a wonderful addition to the island’s horticultural heritage. It will complement our working Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden by adding a facility from which all our Island Community will benefit."

During the construction period, great care will have to be taken by everyone to ensure the safety of pedestrians and especially young children. Barriers will be erected so that the lorries can access the site but care needs to be taken by the public when walking in the area particularly with children and scooters.

Pictured top: An artists impression of the Gatehouse.