Our Landscape team recently took part in a volunteering day at University of Birmingham’s Winterbourne House and Garden, working alongside industry peers to support the evolution of one of the city’s most cherished green spaces.
Associate Director Reno Whitehead and Landscape Architect Sam Chi joined volunteers from WSP, AtkinsRéalis and Ramboll, contributing to the early stages of transforming a former historic rose garden into a new sunken garden.
The initiative was led by University of Birmingham Horticultural Supervisor Adrienne Wade, guiding the team through the site’s history and future vision.
This initial phase focused on the clearance and preparation of the existing planting beds. While physically demanding, this work is essential in setting the foundation for the next stage of the garden’s development.
The future scheme will introduce a diverse mix of herbaceous perennials alongside a striking collection of tree ferns, creating a layered and immersive landscape that reflects both botanical richness and spatial depth.
The transformation aims to reinterpret the historic garden setting while introducing a contemporary planting strategy.
As Phase 1 concludes, attention now turns to the next stage of works, where the vision for the new sunken garden will begin to fully take shape.
The volunteering day demonstrated the value of collaboration across the built environment sector, bringing together designers, engineers and specialists in a shared effort to enhance a significant local landscape.
We look forward to returning to Winterbourne to see the next phase of the garden realised.
