Pines Garden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pines Garden |
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The Pines garden
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| Location | St Margaret's at Cliffe, near Dover, UK |
| Area | 6 acres (24,000 m2) |
| Owned by | The Bay Trust |
| Operated by | The Bay Trust |
| Status | open daily, 10am - 5pm |
| Collections | Arboretum, exotic shrubs, rose garden, |
| Website | Pines Garden website |
Pines Garden is a beautiful house and large garden located near Dover, in the UK. You can find it on the winding road that leads from St Margaret's at Cliffe village down to the beach at St Margaret's Bay.
Contents
Discovering Pines Garden
Who Created Pines Garden?
The story of Pines Garden begins with a man named Frederick Ernest Cleary (1905-1984). He was a Chartered Surveyor from London. Fred became very successful with his company, 'Haslemere Estates'. This company helped fix up many old buildings in the City of London during the 1970s and 1980s.
Fred loved nature and wanted to create green spaces. He even made peaceful gardens in parts of London that had been damaged. Because of his efforts and his books, people called him 'Flowering Fred'.
In 1970, Fred started 'The Bay Trust'. This trust was created to protect nature around St Margaret’s Bay. It also aimed to teach people about the environment. In 1975, Fred bought and fixed up an old building called 'Ripple Down House'. This house became a special place where children could learn about nature.
Today, Fred's grandson, Alistair Gould, is still part of the trust.
How the Garden Grew
The Bay Trust bought the Pines Garden house and its land in the 1960s. At first, an artist named Edda Jones lived in the house. The Trust worked on improving the garden before opening it to everyone.
Later, the old house was taken down because it used too much energy. It couldn't be updated to be more energy-efficient. After this, the garden was fully opened for the public to enjoy.
The garden has many cool things to see. There's a lovely waterfall with a lake next to it. You can also explore a grass labyrinth and an organic kitchen garden. This kitchen garden grows about 40 different types of fruits and vegetables!
Since 2002, the garden has been run using only organic methods. This means they work with nature, not against it. They recycle, compost, and use natural ways to keep pests away from the plants.
You can also find a statue of Winston Churchill in the garden. It was made by the artist Oscar Nemon. The garden also shows off art projects by many contemporary artists.
The Calyx Centre: An Eco-Friendly Building
The Calyx Centre is a special building at Pines Garden. It was built where the old bungalow used to be. The word "Calyx" means "husk" or "pod," and the building is shaped like a pod!
This conference centre was designed to be super energy-efficient. It was built to "passiv-haus" standards, which means it uses very little energy for heating and cooling. The design team included architects, engineers, and conservation experts. They all wanted to create a building that was good for the planet.
How the Calyx Centre Was Built
The walls of the Calyx Centre are made from chalk that was packed down very tightly. These walls are super thick, up to 650mm!
The roof is a Catalan vault, a special type of dome. It uses a technique invented by an architect named Rafael Guastavino way back in 1885. Rings of local clay tiles are glued together to form a strong, self-supporting dome.
The building was finished in the autumn of 2006. It uses much less energy and creates fewer carbon emissions than a normal concrete building. This means it's much better for the environment!
Green Features of the Calyx Centre
The Calyx Centre gets its hot water from solar panels. If it needs extra warmth, a small generator that burns woodchips helps heat the floors. This is called an underfloor heating system.
Water is also managed very carefully here. The building gets its water from a special bore-hole. All the rainwater that falls on the building goes back into this supply. Even the used water from sinks and toilets is cleaned! It goes through a reed bed filter. The clean water can then be used to water the plants in Pines Garden.
The Calyx Centre is so eco-friendly that it claims to be the first conference building in Europe to be "carbon negative." This means it actually removes more carbon from the air than it puts in! It also has a grass roof, which helps it blend into nature.
You can even rent the Calyx Centre for events like weddings and other ceremonies.
St. Margaret’s Museum
At Pines Garden, you can also visit the St. Margaret's Museum and the Pines Garden Tea Room. The museum has different displays about local history. You can learn about St Margaret's during World War II and about famous people who lived there, like Noël Coward. The museum also teaches about the local nature and environment.
Awards for the Calyx Centre
Since it opened in 2006, the Calyx Centre has won many awards. These awards come from local, national, and even international groups!
- Kent Business Environment Award 2006
- Winner of the Building magazine Sustainability Awards 2007, for Sustainable Building of the Year (small project)
- The Sustainable City Award 2007
- Winner of the Special Small Project of the Year category at the Institution of Structural Engineers Building Awards 2007
- Overall Winner of the Kent Design Awards in 2007/2008
- Best Small Building (under £1 million), Winner
