Cowbridge Physic
Garden is a ½ acre physic garden located within the heart of the ancient market
town of Cowbridge and was originally part of the Old Hall Gardens, laid out by
the Edmondes family in the 18th century.
Badly neglected in
the 20th century, it was brought back to life by enthusiastic volunteers and
today is a glorious array of medicinal plants and herbs, typical of physic
gardens from centuries past.
Having completed the
construction of The Cowbridge Physic Garden in 2006, Addagrip approved
installer Landcraft Projects Ltd was delighted to be approached by The
Cowbridge Physic Garden Trust to advise on an alternative surface for the
original stone dust paths which had begun to wear and breakdown leading to an
uneven surface and muddy conditions in wet weather.
Having seen
Terrabase Rustic used in Kew Gardens, The Physic Garden Trust were keen to have
a similar surface in the garden and Landcraft were able to advise and provide
samples of the many options available.
To help them with
their final decision, members of the trust arranged to meet Mr Mark Wilmot of
Addagrip and members of the Kew staff at Kew Gardens to view the Terrabase
resin in-situ and to discuss how the new surfacing is performing. Following
their discussions with Mark and the staff at Kew the Trust decided on Terrabase
Classic - the Terrabase system with a smaller 6mm Chestnut finish laid to a
depth of 30mm.
The garden is a very
popular attraction in the historical market town of Cowbridge and attracts
visitors from across the UK and beyond so the trust were keen to keep
disruption to a minimum. With the limited access and the need to keep the
garden open, Landcraft Projects proposed a 6 week programme with the surfacing
works being undertaken in phases. Having removed and replaced approximately
500m2 of stonedust with the new Terrabase Classic surface, whilst maintaining
public access into and through the garden for all but one day, the works were
completed a week ahead of programme.
We think the newly
surfaced paths are a great addition to the garden with the subtle hues of the
Chestnut blend providing effective delineation without detracting from the
planting and will ensure the garden remains accessible to all.
The installation was
completed in April 2019.
