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27 April 2007 Sam Martin Sam Martin trained as a landscape architect in his New Zealand. He has his own practice Exterior Architecture Ltd which is based in Battersea, London. His passion and knowledge of plants and the landscape came from growing up on a family farm with an 'English garden' surrounded by native forest in Canterbury, New Zealand. Since returning to England in 2001 he has built up an impressive portfolio of large scale private gardens, London gardens, roof & courtyard gardens throughout the UK. Sam submitted a proposal for the garden design in 2004, as part of a competition run by The Crown Estate. Sam’s winning design was selected because of the way it mimics the undulating roof of the new Savill Building, and takes inspiration from the hummocked shape of many New Zealand plants in their natural habitat. Sam’s work at The Savill Garden, has taken inspiration from the unique and diverse habitats of his native country. The garden will showcase some spectacular country flora with the use of more than a thousand tussock grasses, striking individual specimens of cabbage palm and spiky groups of the silver-leaved astelias.
For further information contact: Interviews with Harvey Stephens, tours of The Savill Garden and photography available on request.
Notes to Editors: The opening of The Savill Building in June 2006 provided, for the first time, a visitor centre worthy of Windsor Great Park. Built to a unique and innovative gridshell design, made with timber harvested from Windsor Great Park, The Savill Building forms the gateway to The Savill Garden and The Royal Landscape. In addition to exhibition facilities, visitors to The Savill Building can enjoy a delicious selection of food and drink in the restaurant run by the esteemed caterers, Leith’s, and choose from a range of plants, gifts and books in the new shop. The Royal Landscape is an area of a thousand acres of gardens and parkland, accessible to the public, at the southern end of Windsor Great Park. It includes The Savill Garden, The Valley Gardens and Virginia Water Lake. It is a man-made landscape, which has been shaped and planted over a period of 400 years. Visitors can find further information by logging on to:
The Crown Estate is an estate valued at nearly £6 billion, including substantial blocks of urban property, over 120,000 hectares (300,000 acres) of agricultural land in England, Scotland and Wales, and around half the foreshore, together with the seabed out to the 12 mile territorial limit. As owners, managers and guardians of one of the world’s most important and diverse urban, rural and marine property portfolios our aims are underpinned by the three core values of commercialism, integrity and stewardship. The Crown Estate is part of the hereditary possessions of the Sovereign “in right of the Crown”, managed under the provisions of the Crown Estate Act 1961 by The Crown Estate who have a duty to maintain and enhance the capital value of the Estate and the income obtained from it, which goes to the Treasury for the benefit of the tax payer. Further information can be found by logging on to: www.thecrownestate.co.uk
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