GODALMING IN BLOOM
Read the results and look at the pictures from the prize-giving evening on 12th July - click on the box opposite... and would you like to join the team in 2025 - see our page for details.
Godalming Armistice Memorial Gardens
To mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice of the First World War, a memorial garden is to be created in Nightingale Road Cemetery to honour the 281 men from Godalming who died in the Great War, together with all those in the Godalming community who were affected by the war.
A competition, run by Godalming in Bloom, with support from Godalming Joint Burial Committee, which is a Joint Burial Committee of Busbridge and Godalming Parish Councils, was held to create a design for the garden, ready for opening on 10th November 2018.
At the prize-giving evening held on 10th July, the winner was announced - she is Michele Clackson.
For intertest, the full brief for the competition, including a map and rough outline of the site can be found here.
Brief
Where: The garden will be in Nightingale Road Cemetery in Godalming. This is one of two cemeteries outside of churchyards in the Godalming area. Opened in 1857, the cemetery is open to those of any faith or of no faith. It is in a peaceful spot on a hillside to the north of Godalming and is well known for having a memorial grave to 'Jack' Phillips, the Farncombe-born wireless operator who perished with the Titanic, that can be seen from the pathway in Deanery Road. The headstone, erected on the family grave, has the outline of an iceberg.
The site reserved for the garden is roughly an oval shape, with a minimum size of 9 metres across by 8 metres (but can be expanded across by several further metres) . It is on the site of a recently felled cedar tree, the stump of which has been left in the ground and can be used as a part of the design if required. The site is within the cemetery itself, between two rows of gravestones to the right of the driveway running into the cemetery (see satellite image on PDF). It is currently bare earth, with a small yew tree to the northeast and two further small yew trees to the west. Due to an excess of yew trees in the cemetery, the intent is for these trees to be removed before the garden is created. The minimum size of the garden should cover the area of the old tree (see blue circle on full brief) but there is scope to expand the garden either side of the proposed site by several metres (see red square on full brief), within the constraints of the proposed budget (please see a more detailed plan in the full brief here).
Design requirements: The garden needs to provide interest to visitors throughout the year, whether that is through the planting itself and/or use of hard landscaping. The design should sit comfortably in its surroundings, with any planting and landscaping materials in keeping with and sensitive to a Victorian era cemetery and its history (see further details below regarding use of landscaping materials). The design should provide a space for peace, relaxation and contemplation whilst remembering the sacrifices that were made by the local community during the First World War. There needs to be provision for a plaque to be placed prominently within the garden, which remembers Godalming's contribution to the war (the plaque will be provided separately). The garden will be maintained by the cemetery's own gardening team – whilst no garden is maintenance free, it should be practical and relatively easy to maintain.
Hard landscaping requirements, earthworks & materials: The proposed site for the garden is in the footprint of a recently felled tree. It is envisaged that the stump of the tree, which is 1 metre high by 33cm across, could be used as a part of the design, as well as providing a place for the plaque. If used, the stump can be bored or sculpted to any shape. However, this is not essential and can be removed if required.
Hard landscaping materials need to fit in with the surroundings of the Victorian cemetery. For example natural stone and wood, terracotta, iron and weathered CorTen steel would be acceptable, whilst shiny black marble or polished steel, for example, would not. If in doubt, please consult with the competition organisers (see below).
The design can incorporate a certain amount of earthworks, to create a bank, undulation or hollow, for example. However no holes can be dug more than 3 feet deep. Earthworks would be carried out in construction by the cemetery garden team and would therefore not be a cost in the competition budget.
There is currently no boundary to the garden, sitting as it does within the cemetery itself between two rows of gravestones. The designer can choose whether a boundary to the garden is needed and, if so, what materials are to be used.
The garden will be opened 'out of season' in November. However, if the designer would like to include bedding plants in the design for future years, this can be achieved, as the cemetery gardening team do have access to summer and winter bedding plants which can be added and taken out through the seasons as appropriate.
Budget: The budget for the creation of the garden is £2,000. This needs to cover the cost of the perennial plants, shrubs and trees (which will be bought wholesale from a local plant nursery) and hard landscaping materials. Because the garden will be built by the cemetery gardening team, labour costs need not be included unless specialist contractors are required. Any earthworks required can also be carried out by the cemetery team with use of a mini-digger, so need not be included in costings. Any annual planting of bedding plants also need not be included in the original budget.
Timeframe: The garden will be created over the summer and early autumn of 2018 for opening on Saturday 10th November, on the weekend of the 100th anniversary of the armistice.
Other considerations: There are currently three small yew trees just outside the boundary of the proposed garden (see plan). The intent is to remove these trees in advance of creating the new garden. Watering is available on site to help establish the garden, but the design should not include any water features or plants that will need regular watering beyond that required to get them established. Electrical power would be available during construction of the garden, but there will be no permanent electrical supply to the site, so no features that require electricity should be included in the design.
Soil type: The cemetery is located on freely draining, slightly acidic, loamy soil. The exact location of the garden itself is around a recently felled tree. However, roots will be removed and the soil will be improved in advance of the construction of the garden and composted manure will be applied. The site is very open, in full sun.
Construction: The winning garden design will be created during the summer and autumn of 2018. The work will be carried out by the experienced gardening team of the Joint Burial Committee of Godalming Town Council, but it is hoped that the winning designer will be able to provide some time to advise and oversee the work during that period to ensure the garden is created in line with the original design.
Entry requirements: (For interest) There were no restrictions to those who can enter the competition. Entries are to include a scale drawing of the plan (computer generated plans also accepted) showing the hard landscaping requirements, together with a planting list and planting plan and estimated costs and requirements for plants and materials. A plant price list can be provided on application to help with this process. A written description of the garden, explaining the thought process behind the design and an insight into how the finished garden will look through the seasons is also required.
Judging criteria: The design was judged according to the design requirements (see above) and importantly, must be deliverable within the competition budget. The organisers have purposely not wanted to be too prescriptive with design requirements, to allow entrants to use their skill and imagination in coming up with ideas for the garden.
Prize: Whilst there is no monetary prize, the winner (Michele Clackson) was announced at the Godalming in Bloom annual awards ceremony on 10th July 2018 and will receive publicity through various local news outlets and the Godalming Town Council newsletter. The designer will also be remembered in perpetuity on a plaque within the garden itself. This is a one-off, interesting opportunity for any professional or amateur designer, student or design company to design a garden that will be on permanent public show and would provide an excellent addition to their portfolio.
Further information: The cemetery is open to the public at all times. Any further questions can be emailed to Matthew Willis, Godalming in Bloom, on matthewpswillis@hotmail.com or Andy Jeffrey, Town Clerk, Godalming Town Council on townclerk@godalming-tc.gov.uk. For further information about Nightingale Road Cemetery, please see www.godalming-jbc.gov.uk/the-cemeteries/nightingale-cemetery.
Three Years on... the garden thrives and there is now an explanatory plaque to read - link HERE for photographs taken by Ian Coult in August 2021. The Cemetery won GOLD in the 2021 South & South East in Bloom competition and was also judged the overall winner in the Small Cemetery Category.