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Garden house reopens after nine-year restoration

David Dixon
BBC News, Cornwall
BBC The Mayor of Penzance cuts a ribbon in front of a new building. A crowd of people behind him who were involved in the restoration project cheer. The building has old granite stonework but modern windows.BBC
A ribbon cutting ceremony at the centre in Penzance

A 19th Century former gardeners' house within a public garden has officially reopened after a £3.1m restoration project that took nine years.

The Gardeners' House in Penzance was previously where the Morrab Gardens' head gardener lived, and had also been used as a stable for donkeys who pulled lawnmowers.

The team behind the new centre said it aimed to create "a welcoming space for our community to connect with us and the spaces around us".

It includes a sensory garden and a local archive and features a modern extension.

The building nine years ago, there is ivy growing from the walls and some of the windows are broken
The building was most recently used for storage but had fallen into disrepair

The project was funded by £2.2m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £896,000 from the Penzance Town Deal Fund.

Taryn Nixon, a trustee of the heritage fund, and said: "It completely aligned with our strategy which is to save local heritage and protect the environment - doing it inclusively and sustainably."

Miki Ashton started her involvement as a volunteer and, nine years on, has become the project director.

She said: "If you look at the pictures of what it was then and what is is now, it's an extraordinary transformation.

"It was originally a stable, it housed the donkeys of the gardens... then it was storage, then it was something else until it got to the point where ivy was growing through the windows."

Penzance Town Council The end of the traditional granite building has a modern extension with large windows and wooden cladding Penzance Town Council
The renovated building features a modern extension

The project includes a "living archive", which it described as "a growing collection that documents the rich history, stories and natural landscape of our region".

Its website says: "We want to expand our collection with the help of our community.

"The restoration of our historic building in Morrab Gardens will also provide a welcoming space for wellbeing workshops, community-led green projects, and a sensory garden."

Penzance Town Mayor Stephen Reynolds was on hand to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony on Saturday.

He said: "On time and on budget are not words you often hear these days with publicly-funded projects.

"Many people in this community have volunteered and given their time for free and with that you get far more value for a project like this."

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