The Gardeners’ House in Penzance, Cornwall has officially opened after a nine year restoration completed by the Architectural Heritage Fund, featuring a new sensory garden.

Located within Morrab Gardens, The Gardeners’ House has been transformed from a derelict building into a welcoming community space which will host wellbeing workshops, green projects and a brand-new sensory garden to be used by the local residents. 

Offering an accessible and therapeutic space, the sensory garden is a new space for visitors to reconnect with nature. It is especially targeted at those living with dementia in Penzance.

Featuring a mix of shapes, colours and scents, the garden incorporates special plants such as the existing lime tree, as well as climbers and colourful diosma ‘sunset gold’ and eryngium ‘magical purple stars’ flowers.

Local craftspeople were tasked with recreating Pengarth Day Centre’s patients’ artwork in stone, metal and wood, which now also feature within the garden. 

Matthew Mckeague, chief executive of the Architectural Heritage Fund says the improving public and green spaces such as The Gardeners’ House “provides an excellent example of how our early stage support and funding provides the foundations to allow successful projects to grow”.

Miki Ashton, director at The Gardeners’ House also comments:

“Since opening our doors, it’s been a joy for our team to see the people of Penzance and beyond visiting us to discover the Gardeners’ House and what we’re about.”

This project was made possible by two grants gifted by the Architectural Fund, the first from 2018 and the second in 2021. The charity has also transformed areas in Carmarthenshire, Wales and Glasgow, Scotland for the wellbeing of local communities.