Newnham’s new gardens – the Fawcett Courtyard, the Café Courtyard and the Strachey Garden – have been a draw to University members and the local community since they opened. Now they’ve been awarded first prize in their category in the BALI National Landscaping Awards.
This is an outstanding achievement for all who have contributed to these new gardens for the College: the Garden Committee whose vision and high standards resulted in this transformational space; the donors whose generosity enabled the creation of the gardens, the garden designers Bradley-Hole Schoenaich Landscape, the landscaping contractors Bowles & Wyer, our Head Gardener and the Garden Team.
The award-winning landscaping was a collaboration between Bowles & Wyer, who worked with Newnham’s own Garden Team on the soft landscaping in these new areas. Bowles & Wyer planted the shrubs and lawns, while the Newnham team carried out the herbaceous planting.
Indeed, all the herbaceous plants were grown by Newnham College’s own garden team, a more cost-effective and sustainable approach.
Head of the Garden Committee, Prof Jenny Morton, said “The Landscape Architects should be congratulated. They worked tirelessly and patiently with the Garden Committee who insisted that while the new gardens could be modern, they still had to be typical of the lovely gardens that Newnhamites expect at Newnham College. And some of the credit has to go to others – in particular our donors who really made it possible, and our wonderful Head Gardener and her Garden Team, who grew all of the plants for the Strachey Gardens and the lavender rooftop garden.”
Head Gardener Lottie Collis said, “I am really thrilled that the new gardens have won such a prestigious award, and would like to thank all of the people that worked so hard on them to achieve it.”
As the first view of Newnham’s famous gardens for many people, the Café Courtyard was designed to feel both beautiful and welcoming. Lawns and benches invite students to read and picnic, while generous areas of stone and gravel allow for café tables. The herbaceous borders are a joyous eruption of colour, with a nod to Newnham’s crest in the predominance of blues and golds.
The Strachey Gardens are even more impressive for a garden lover, with geometric blocks of lush planting and quiet gravel, edged with low yew hedges. Meanwhile, the Fawcett Courtyard is a tranquil space which demonstrates what can be achieved in a shady courtyard. White flowers, evergreen shrubs and grasses and a delightful fountain offer a moment of calm in the middle of College life.
Newnham was awarded first prize for “Soft Landscaping Construction (non-domestic) – Under £500k” at BALI 2019.