THE GARDEN
The garden at The Exchange is in full bloom. Conceived by award-winning designer Sarah Price, and planted and tended by an enthusiastic group of local residents alongside Head Gardener Colin Stewart, it's rapidly growing into a must-see green space. Read more about the garden below, or check out the master list of our plants here.
HERMES GARDEN
The front garden is loosely inspired by the Mediterranean, with a planting scheme that recalls the beauty of the Greek islands, as well as the garrigues of southern France and fynbos of South Africa.
As Erith gets hotter, this sun-baked experimental space incorporates borderline-hardy plants - myrtles, aloes and olives - that we hope will stand up to climate change. Wave after wave of colour washes through this area between the delightfully airy Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima). In summer, Dorycnium hirsutum, a sprawling subshrub with hairy grey foliage and pinky-white flowers, and pretty Cistus x argenteus ‘Silver Pink’, combine with annuals like the gorgeous creamy California poppy, Eschscholzia californica ‘Ivory Castle’, Cerinthe major ‘Purparescens’ and culinary dill. Turkish sage (Phlomis russeliana) is a drought-tolerant perennial with pale yellow flowers that give way to striking tiered seedheads, while Oenothera lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’ flutters through the white form of red valerian, Centranthus ruber ‘Albus’.
Many of these plants, like the gnarled Aleppo pines that punctuate the gravel slope, were kindly donated by Paris fashion house Hermès, having previously featured in a beautiful summer garden terrace designed by Sarah Price for their Mayfair flagship store.
Fern Yard
Beyond the Bookstore terrace, this small shady retreat has a cool, serene atmosphere. The planting, featuring several species of fern and other shade-lovers, including rust-tinged Dryopteris erythrosora and purple-leaved violets, Viola labradorica, forms a series of subtly textural tapestries.
East Garden
Our gently sloping back garden has a mature sycamore at its focal point, dividing the space into shady and sunny areas. The beds are connected by meandering paths, with areas to sit and gather. These are laid in herringbone patterns inspired by the interior’s parquet flooring, with handmade bricks developed by Local Works Studio and made by the local community, using reclaimed materials from the building works and locally sourced clay. The backdrop of reclaimed corrugated metal fencing recalls Erith’s industrial past and makes Sarah’s painterly planting scheme sing.
The palette here is a romantic mix of perennials like red feather clover (Trifolium rubens) and asters, grasses, bulbs and roses (notably the colour-changing Rosa x odorata 'Mutabilis') and grasses. These loose, dreamy combinations are anchored by the silver-leaved Elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’ and evergreen Osmanthus x burkwoodii, both of which have the bonus of small, highly scented flowers in season. The lower area basks in sun, and here there are more exuberant combinations of the architectural Melianthus major, catmint and colourful seasonal annuals.
South Terrace
The Garden Room and ceramics studio open on to a brick and gravel terrace shaded by two sprawling mulberry trees, rumoured to originally have been part of the garden of Walnut Tree House, which occupied the site prior to the construction of the library and town hall. Before these come into leaf, a succession of colourful spring bulbs (Tulipa sylvestris and snowdrops among others) and woodland perennials unfolds, before becoming a quieter green carpet in summer.
THE GREENHOUSE
The Greenhouse was inspired by Florence Barton-Young, the Head Librarian here for over 20 years, and the travelling library van which she commissioned in the 1930s. This was the first ever purpose-built mobile library to be commissioned in the UK. It was built to serve the District of Erith, travelling to areas of the borough that were then much harder to reach.
The actual vehicle is now safely stored in the Science Museum’s collection in Wroughton. We were not able to get it back, but instead used the photographs and plans for the original to inspire a new greenhouse for our garden. Fabricated by Surrey Ironcraft with the support of structural engineers Buro Happold, this incredible new piece of metalwork is a welcome addition to our garden and a fitting memorial to Florence.
As well as being used for propagation, the library is now home to a budding pelargonium collection.
Images courtesy of Bexley Archives
COLIN’S GARDEN JOURNAL
ABOUT THE CRAFTSPEOPLE
COLIN STEWART
Colin Stewart is the Head Gardener here at The Exchange. With an art and design background, Colin trained at Cambridge University Botanic Garden and as a Great Dixter Scholar, and brings a wealth of knowledge of plants, gardening and horticulture.
GuARDIANS OF THE GARDEN
The Guardians of the Garden are the group of volunteers who worked alongside Sarah Price and the landscape team to create Erith’s best garden. The group consists of professional and amateur gardeners, all with a passion for garden craft and design.
Mark Whyman Landscapes
Mark Whyman Landscapes is a multi-award winning company, passionate about creating beautiful gardens and landscapes.
They have worked closely with Sarah Price Landscapes on many projects, including this one and her Chelsea gold award winners.
Local Works Studio
Local Works Studio focus on creative and sustainable use of resources in their designs for landscapes and buildings, using site-based resources and processes to plan, make and repair. On this project, this involved using Crayford Brickearth found on local building sites to create bricks. Crayford Brickearth is a rare, locally occurring sedimentary deposit containing a blend of clay, chalk and sand particles that can form ceramics ready for firing.
Surrey Ironcraft
Surrey Ironcraft deliver fine metal craftsmanship, specialising in gates, railings, and bespoke metal furniture. At The Exchange their work has included The Greenhouse and the metal staircase, and they are now working on the front gates and railings.
SARAH PRICE LANDSCAPES
Sarah Price is one of the leading designers of her generation having already been awarded Gold Medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in both 2012 and 2018, she co-designed the gardens for London’s Olympic Park in 2012 and designed an art garden at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester.