Barts Garden
Visual of the letter âTâ as a play structure.
Visual of the garden entrance echoing the church entrance.
Photograph of St Bartholomew church with the original garden in the foreground.
Mooch was invited by landscape architects, Philip Cave Associates, to team up and produce ideas for the re-design of a pocket park near Ann Street in Brighton. The park had become a focus for anti social behaviour and a fresh start needed to turn it into an important green space on a busy pedestrian route. Funding was part of the Lively Cities programme to reclaim public space for public use.
Working to create a garden that had a connection to the spectacular St Bartholomews church nearby and the neighbouring primary school, we set about rebranding the park. Bright, colourful shapes were designed that spelt out the park name but served as seats/tables/play equipment to immediately encourage a new user group and instil a sense of ownership, pride and investment in the area. A living willow arch and pergola were proposed that mirrored the architecture and interior of the church, these would create a new photo backdrop for events such as weddings. The cycle path also had a makeover with a design celebrating the highly decorative brickwork in the church.
The design was one of only 5 shortlisted, receiving much praise for its celebration of green space and cheerful spirit.
