Work begins on £1.8m riverside gallery garden

Work has begun on The Hepworth’s new luxury landscape riverside garden.
Luxury: An artists impression of the completed garden.Luxury: An artists impression of the completed garden.
Luxury: An artists impression of the completed garden.

Work began on the scheme last month after two new grants helped the gallery secure 80 per cent of the £1.8m funding needed to complete the garden.

Following a £500,000 grant from Arts Council England last year, two new grants were awarded to the gallery - £100,000 from The Foyle Foundation and £150,000 by The Wolfson Foundation, taking the total raised to more than £1.5million.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Simon Wallis, director of The Hepworth Wakefield said: “We are delighted by the extremely generous support from both The Foyle Foundation and The Wolfson Foundation towards the creation of The Hepworth Wakefield Garden.

Beginnings: Andrew Kingston and Simon Wallis as work begins on The Hepworth Wakefield Garden.Beginnings: Andrew Kingston and Simon Wallis as work begins on The Hepworth Wakefield Garden.
Beginnings: Andrew Kingston and Simon Wallis as work begins on The Hepworth Wakefield Garden.

“The timing of their awards has put us in an excellent financial position to complete the project this year, allowing Tom Stuart-Smith’s inspiring design to transform the vacant strip of land adjacent to the gallery into a garden for all to enjoy.

“It will make a huge difference to the setting of The Hepworth Wakefield and will attract many more visitors to our city.”

Designed by internationally renowned designer Tom Stuart-Smith, the garden is set to revitalise the strip of land adjacent to the gallery, a currently unused site which joins the gallery to a soon-to-be-renovated Victorian mill complex.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The garden, which will be completed in time for the Yorkshire Sculpture International festival later this year, will be one of the largest free public gardens in the UK.

The riverside garden will comprise of a series of open spaces surfaced with paving and lawn, and will offer plenty of places to sit.

Separated from the road by a wall, it is hoped that the garden will be used as a location to host medium-sized events.

Fundraising for the site has been carried out over a period of two years, and has included £44,576 in public donations.