Brighton

'Walking Woods'

Valley Gardens, is an underused public space between the one-way roads taking the main thoroughfare into and out of Brighton adjacent to the Royal Pavilion and the University of Brighton. 

The Gardens have existed since 1810 and have been through several transformations since.  In the early 20^th century,  Brighton's then Superintendent of Parks and Gardens, Captain Maclaren, had a vision of open 'valley vistas' throughout the town, and Valley Gardens was seen as ornamental rather than recreational gardens, with complex horticultural bedding systems which were meant to be admired from passing cars and trams. The gardens were previously planted more densely with trees and the areas of bedding were much larger than now.

The winning proposal was designed by Lucy Palmer whose Walking Woods project involved installing 700 trees in pots in the Gardens to transform them into a temporary mobile woodland. There were six different species of tree enabling a landscape of varied height and density, bringing back a park full of greenery in an otherwise heavily urban environment. The trees also complimented the collection of mature elm trees which survived the elm beetle infestation of the 1980s and 90s - one of only two collections still to be seen in the country.  Following the project, the trees are be planted in another Brighton Park to give the City a sustainable legacy from Places from Spaces through their carbon locking and re-use potential 

The scheme has also enabled another group of students to prepare concept designs for other possible permanent transformations of the Gardens, which were put on display while the temporary transformation was in place. The exhibition stand acted as in information point and also a repository for questionnaires filled in by visitors on their view of the Gardens which will be used by the local council to look at current uses and future aspirations for development of the gardens.