I recently wrote an article about the value of parks and public open spaces and as a Green Flag judge I visit many parks throughout the year, evaluating their part in providing an important green space for their communities and any outside visitors.
Most local authorities tend to have two to three principle large parks that offer a wide range of facilities and attractions for their visitors.
One such park I have recently visited is the renowned Quarry in Shrewsbury, where I had the opportunity to meet up with their acting operations manager, Stuart Farmer, who gave me a guided tour of the 29-acre park, nestled in the centre of Shrewsbury Town and on the banks of the River Severn.
Stuart as been with the council for over 26 years starting out as a YTS student in 1998. He undertook a modern 3-year apprenticeship and over the years has taken on many management roles, looking after the different horticultural and sports turf / amenity facilities around the town. These include sports pitches, bowling greens, road traffic islands, cemeteries and parks & open spaces.
I have visited the park on several occasions, especially to see their annual Shrewsbury Flower Show and annual spring and summer floral displays in the Dingle.
Stuart Farmer, acting operations manager
The show is one of the country’s premier flower show events, attracting top exhibitors from all over the country. It has a small permanent staff and over 100 volunteers who manage and organise the whole event, from traffic flow, marquee and services contracts, publicity and marketing, public safety, catering, entertainment, engaging specialist judges for hundreds of competitive classes etc. The show attracts around 12,000 people each year and is one of the longest running horticultural shows, having started way back in 1875.
The Quarry has been Shrewsbury's most important site for recreation since the 16th Century. It still provides the perfect place to relax, enjoy walks, picnic, fish along the banks of the River Severn, or just let off steam.
At the heart of the Quarry lies the Dingle, a floral masterpiece cultivated by world-renowned gardener Percy Thrower, who served as parks superintendent for 28 years. It's a delightful sunken garden, landscaped with alpine borders, brilliant bedding plants, shrubbery and charming water features.
Like many Victorian parks the Quarry has a Bandstand, which stands below the entrance to the Quarry in Shrewsbury, was built in 1879 and donated to the park by the Shropshire Horticultural Society. The bandstand was restored to its former glory in 2003 and officially opened for the 2004 Shrewsbury Flower Show.
As for events in the park, Stuart is part of a team that organises its three main events; the Shrewsbury Flower Show, Shrewsbury Food Festival and the Let’s Rock music festival. All are restricted to allow up to 12,000 people at each event. The events generally take place in the summer months of July and August. These bring much needed income for the council.
The park is also renowned for its annual spring and summer bedding displays in the Dingle. The Dingle started out life as a wet quarry providing a poor-quality red sandstone which was the main source of the town’s building stone. The gardenesque design you now see was created by the Shropshire Horticultural Society between 1875 and 1879. The design combines irregular forms, winding paths and an intimate scale. East of the lake, there are richly planted beds cut into manicured grass and a floral clock.
Stuart oversees all horticultural operations in the town and as a team of 55 staff to help maintain the high standards they are proud of. They are one of a few councils that still mow weekly and box off their grass clippings on ornamental lawn and island site areas. The Quarry is cared for by four permanent and one part time member of staff.
The council still own and run their own greenhouses and plant nursery, growing all the bedding and floral plant material for the town. Growing a total of 300,000 plants for use around the town with 30,000 being planted in the Dingles annual bedding displays. This also includes over 500 hanging baskets and floral tubs that are placed around the town.
The flower beds in the Quarry are manured and topped up every couple of years. This helps maintain a good soil structure and provides good nutrient availability for the plants. The Dingle also has an automated watering system to keep the plants and lawns watered during the summer months. Stuart said the Dingle also seems to have its own microclimate, in that it’s a sun trap and protected from high winds. Which in turn helps the plants grow well and prevents damage to the taller bedding plants such as the fuchsias and abutilons.
They also generate income from selling plant materials to other town and parish councils and local businesses.
The Quarry Park generally attracts around 1.4 million visitors a year and this is verified by the fact that they have electronic counters on the entrances of the park and mobile phone data collection.
Last year the council invested in new lighting columns around the park that are powered by solar panels and, overtime, will save the council money. The park also has a children’s play area, toilets and café facilities.
All in all, it’s a wonderfully maintained park that is always a joy to visit. I must commend Stuart and his staff for retaining the high standards of horticulture and have recommended they should put themselves up for Green Flag Award status.
I believe it is vitally important that we retain these high levels of management and delivery of horticulture excellence in our parks and green spaces.
