Latest update August 24th 2024

We are delighted with the reaction to the garden and its sculptures – everyone is charmed by the atmosphere and all the work on display, including the Pipework trellis. We have won LTG Global Gallery of the Year award for the second year running, mainly due to the expansion into the garden here at Bridgy Gallery. Not only that, but we have also caught the attention of another awards organisation, Prestige, who have also recognised the work going on here with their Gallery of the Year award too. So to celebrate our double win, we will be having a black tie evening event on the 27th September.

The final preparations for the opening saw the John Brooks green neatly mowed, and the Alder tree at the end of the garden trimmed a little so you could see the stage. The giant daisy put on a fabulous display, as did the new roses. The oak seat commemorating Ben Axel Val Baker was completed and polished along with some additional work on the dry river-bed, water feature & Pipe trellis. Still more to be done here, also the Fish arch sculpture is still a work in progress. Something to watch develop over time. Also, the red sunflowers grown from seed are flowering now – so well worth a visit.

June 24th
The refurbished patio furniture is proudly sprouting a stand and umbrella sun shade. The electricians and alarm people have put in cameras, security sensors and lights, including emergency lights. The seedlings have been planted out, spores injected into the old wood in the Fungi garden and the new lawn is lush, dedicated: John Brook’s Green.

The Tori gate has been built. The tree stump sculpture is completed with the coloured glass balls.

Work continues on the tree card stand, water feature, pipe trellis (repairing the panels blown in during the storms) and on the fish arch. Also, oak cover for the horseshoe tree seat and refurbishment to the old bench seat.

We are building a Mocktail Bar and having fun designing alcohol-free cocktails and naming them.

The garden is responding positively to being a garden, for the first time, everything is getting established. The transplanted garden is coming along, and we wait to see what flowers next!

The opening to the public planned for the solstice has been postponed as we are in June with still much to complete! The weather is inclement so plan to open later in the summer when we are really ready, a private dedication event will still take place for Mark Ricketts on the anniversary of his passing.

The tree card stand

The Tori gate

March 30th
Seeds are currently being sown in our purpose-built greenhouse, crafted from re-used old secondary glazing panels and leftover wood. The plants in the garden are thriving, and refurbished donated furniture now adorns the patio – a sure sign of spring’s arrival!

With the opening on the solstice approaching, it’s all hands on deck to prepare the garden. Lawn sowing is on the agenda, along with laying down the bark we’ve produced. We’re also focusing on the Moss, Fern, and Fungi gardens, as well as finalizing the water feature, Fish arch, Sycamore tree seat, and other sculptures.

In addition to these outdoor tasks, we’re designing garland swags to decorate the long gallery and arranging for electricians to install spot lighting for the paintings. The transformation of an old door into a tree card stand also needs to be completed. With so much to do, we’re grateful for the longer evenings lending us a hand.

Watch this space for more updates and photos.

February 16th
In spite of the really cold weather, we are making progress. The lovely tables and chairs that we have been lucky to have been gifted have been refurbished in preparation for spring and the warmer days ahead, all looking ready for our coffee mornings and afternoon tea parties – seeds have been ordered, beds prepared, weeds taken out, and we are looking forward to the completion of the long gallery internal decorations, and the circular tree seat. Also, more work on the water feature as well as seeing what plants have overwintered well and repair of the unfinished pipework trellis, which unfortunately suffered damage during the storms. This work may delay completion of the fish arch – still plenty to do before I get my chance to relax on the Zen patio!

At last, the gallery has embarked on phase two – the restoration of the long gallery (a Bridgwater tiled long shed extending the length of the garden.) and landscaping the Sculpture garden. The lovely original tiled roof and 100’ long undercover area was life expired. The timbers of the roof no longer able to hold up the weight of the tiles, the whole structure was pulling away from the wall and all the timber supports were no longer supporting the structure. Catching it before it fell in and broke all the double Roman clay tiles was the immediate aim.

Clearing away the cobwebs

Back in August 2019, the gallery garden building was covered in ivy – the first year we cleared ivy, which had taken over everything all over the ground and big sycamore trees and had started to cover the back of the gallery too. A tree surgeon was employed to check the condition of the trees and fell the smaller sycamore which was growing rapidly too close to the building. This allowed light to flood back into the building which needed a lot of work, the roof, a gable end had to be re-built, electrics and replacement windows/doors. With work concentrated on phase one, after some covid delays, the front part of the gallery was able to open to the public on 20th Oct 2021. Work concentrated on meeting local artists, establishing connections with the cultural life of Bridgwater, experiencing our first proper Carnival, Arts weeks, building our own website and taking bookings for exhibitions in the garage gallery. Also, some progress has been made on the coach house and undercover yard – 40 years of sawdust trapped in the ceilings which needed removal for fire safety.

Sudden loss

Following the sudden loss of our dear friend, website creator and sculptor Mark Ricketts at the summer solstice of 2022, it was decided to dedicate the Sculpture garden in his memory.

A complete transformation

Springing into action mid-April 2023, the old structure was taken down – new concrete fence posts went in followed by the new wood roof, then in early May the side went on including donated doors and windows, including the original critical window from the front of the gallery. Then the tiles went back on, and as anticipated, when you walk down the concrete path inside the long gallery you can see the Sculpture garden where there is a lot of natural light.

The project continues by finishing off the long gallery, and then work will start on the structure of the Sculpture garden with socializing patio.

October 13th
These are the makings of the Fish arch, the beginnings of the water feature and the tree before the circular seating arrives.

August 29th
The garden hard landscaping is almost complete, golden patio laid, reclaimed brick mindfulness paths in and some more plants have arrived along with a generous amount of good topsoil from a neighbour. Next on our list the LED lights to go up in the long gallery, tree seat to build, water feature, punk rockery, moss garden and most excitingly, the focus turns to the sculpture element.

August 11th
Garden progress – completed 12 pipe trellis panels. Now that’s half way! The patio should be completed tomorrow. My 4’ Dancing Bee circle has been installed today.