New Peter Randall-Page designed Bridge Provides Access to Dartington Hall Gardens

The Dartington Hall Trust has successfully raised funds to install a new bridge in its Grade II listed gardens that will provide increased access for visitors with mobility issues, realising a long-term dream of the Trust’s Gardens Manager, Graham Gammin.

The design of the new bridge has been commissioned from renowned sculptor Peter Randall-Page – and is his first foray into bridge design. The access point is a key element of a new accessible route down to the “Sunny Border”, allowing easy, safe and level entry from Peter Randall-Page’s Jacob’s Pillow sculpture (also known as the ‘Seed Pod’) to the garden’s famous ‘Twelve Apostles’ yew trees and Tiltyard.

The installation of the bridge begins on Monday June 13th 2011. The foundation is scheduled to take 3-4 weeks, thereafter sculptor Peter Randall-Page and his team will be onsite to complete the installation works. It is estimated that, weather permitting, work will be finished and the pathway open by early September. The new bridge, which will be made of local green oak, will be a piece of art in its own right and a fantastic addition to Dartington’s award-winning and historic garden.

Dartington’s Gardens Manager, Graham Gammin, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the funds for this vital stage of garden development. I’d like to extend my thanks to the Mrs. W. Godfrey-Payton Trust for generously awarding the funds for the project, to the individuals who have supported the appeal, to Dartington’s fundraising team for their fantastic work in raising the money and to Peter Randall-Page for his outstanding design.”

Graham added, “It is never easy to carry out works such as this within a delicate environment such as the Dartington gardens and harder still to find a good time that suits everyone! Our team here will work hard to keep disruption to an absolute minimum however, and we look forward to welcoming even more visitors into the gardens in due course.”

UPDATE: The bridge is now built and opens to the public on 14th November 2011.

Should you wish to know more about Peter Randall-Page and his work please go to http://www.peterrandall-page.com/about/intro.html