Context

Saughton Park is one of Edinburgh’s six ‘Premier Parks’, receiving around half a million visitors each year. In 2012 a £6m project began to restore and improve the space.

Requirement

The park has two main areas: an open flat area used for sports and recreation and enclosed Walled Gardens dating back to the 18th century. The Walled Gardens includes a Kitchen Garden and Physic Garden, which has national historical significance.

WoodblocX was asked to replace the existing planters in the The Kitchen Garden and Physic Garden.

Solution

Community participation and engagement were a key requirement of the project, and the architects worked closely with Friends of Saughton Park - a team of dedicated individuals who maintain the grounds. Together they agreed upon 17 large WoodBlocX raised beds of three different heights to provide a mixture of low-level raised beds for children and higher, more accessible planters for adults of varying abilities. This ensured that maintaining and harvesting the plants is easy and accessible for everyone. Several of the new structures include integrated seating to create a functional space for both visitors and volunteers to enjoy the space.

Testimonial

Gillian Smith from Ironside Farrar said: “Within the Saughton Park Kitchen Garden and Physic Garden, the extensive use of WoodblocX planters has provided robust, high quality finishes suitable for intense use. Planters were created at three different heights making them easily accessible by all users”.