Ann-Marie Powell honoured by Great Fountain Garden project
Ann-Marie Powell says ‘it’s an honour’ as her studio is picked to reimagine the planting scheme for the Great Fountain Garden at Hampton Court Palace.
The garden was first created during the time of William III and Mary II, in the early 1690s, before Queen Victoria opened the doors to the public in 1838.
Its next phase is to focus on sustainability and biodiversity, which Ann-Marie Powell’s studio will work on to create a new permanent planting scheme.
Powell says: “What an honour to work on such a historic site!
“We’re just at the beginning of this journey, with the design phase now underway.
“It’s a bit surreal to think we’re contributing to the ongoing story of this iconic palace.”
The studio will be working with the gardening team at Historic Royal Palaces for the project, which aims to have practical changes start in Autumn 2025.
Powell, discussing the aims of the project, says: “To create a garden that’s not only vibrant year-round but also kinder to our planet.
“We’ll be including more perennials, naturalised bulbs and shrubs that will reduce carbon emissions and boost soil health.”
Elsewhere, Historic Royal Palaces has announced REVEAL, the research vault for heritage science collections, with funding from the Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) programme.
It is a major £80 million research and innovation investment from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund and delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
The project will allow Historic Royal Palaces to transform its physical and digital storage facilities and provide a platform to conduct and facilitate research initiatives.
As part of REVEAL, four rooms at Hampton Court Palace adjacent to the Heritage Science Laboratory will be repurposed to provide space for scientific sample storage.