RHS Garden Bridgewater: The Making of a Garden (Hardback) - The Royal Horticultural Society

A celebration of RHS Garden Bridgewater, the Royal Horticultural Society's newly reopened public garden

Following the popular BBC series, this book is the comprehensive guide to one of Europe's largest and most ambitious gardening projects, the magnificent RHS Bridgewater.

RHS Garden Bridgewater has a rich history, deeply entrenched personal connections with the local community and now a dazzling and exciting future, all of which is brought to life in this sumptuous book.

Set on the site of the former Worsley New Hall stately home in Manchester, bordering the Bridgewater canal, the Bridgewater garden is one of the most exciting public garden projects undertaken anywhere in the world in recent years. Guided by a masterplan from the renowned landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith, it is a showpiece of horticultural excellence with a rich array of attractions, from walled gardens and Chinese streamside features to aromatic kitchen gardens and verdant wooded areas, all placed at the heart of the community.

RHS Garden Bridgewater charts the glory years of royal visits to the site, the decline and fall into disrepair and the subsequent restoration and development of the gardens into what they are today.

Chronicling personal memories from the people who shaped the gardens, the book is beautifully illustrated and provides a complete insight into how a garden was and will once again become an integral and inspirational part of the community.

About the Author

The Royal Horticultural Society, founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Yorkshire), Rosemoor (Devon) and Bridgewater (Greater Manchester); flower shows including the Chelsea Flower Show, Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, Tatton Park Flower Show and Cardiff Flower Show; community gardening schemes; Britain in Bloom and a vast educational programme. It also supports training for professional and amateur gardeners

Phil McCann has written many gardening books and authored features for most gardening journals as well as provided horticultural content for websites. He has had the privilege of observing the progress of RHS Garden Bridgewater from day one. While filming for The Great Northern Garden Build series for BBC2 and detailing events for this book, Phil has seen the garden updated from its previous glory to the breathtaking spectacle it is today.