C O N T E X T 1 1 3 : M A R C H 2 0 1 0 37 Gardens and designed landscapes Parks for the people A weekend late in October 2009 saw over 60 delegates from Ireland and elsewhere gathered in the impressive surroundings of Farmleigh House, next to Phoenix Park in Dublin. The event was the annual conference organised by the Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Committee. Farmleigh House originated as a modest Regency house in around 1800. It was aggrandised in the 1880s by Kerry-born architect James Franklin Fuller for Edward Cecil Guinness, later First Earl of Iveagh. Sold to the Irish State in 1999, after a period of comparative neglect the house and grounds have been extensively restored for use by the state and as a public facility. Farmleigh proved to be an ideal venue for this conference, the theme of which was Parks for the People. The keynote speaker on the first day was landscape historian Hazel Conway, whose extensive knowledge and understanding of the history and value of public parks was reflected in her talk on Parks, Landscapes and Regeneration. Conway paid particular attention to the role of parks in assisting urban regeneration, using examples drawn from across Europe. Mention was also made of the important part played by the Heritage Lottery Fund’s urban parks programme in the revitalisation of parks in the UK. Architect Mary Bryan’s talk on Fitzwilliam Square and the Georgian Squares of Dublin drew attention to this significant aspect of Dublin’s urban fabric. Bryan discussed both their history and the conservation problems generated by their ageing fabric and what many consider to be inappropriate ‘insertions’. In a wide-ranging talk on the second day, Kevin Halpenny, parks superintendent for Fingal County Council, explored The Value of Public Parks and Gardens to Society. His talk addressed the problem of balancing the tangible costs of parks and open spaces against their more intangible benefits. These include their contribution to public health, psychological wellbeing and biodiversity. In a talk by garden historian Finola Reid entitled Private to Public: reinventing historic demesnes and gardens, consideration was given to the abuse and neglect often suffered by gardens which come into public ownership. Reid also described the challenges facing those who care for such places. She spoke of the need to raise public awareness, and to coordinate policies and legislation more effectively, to strengthen protection for this vulnerable part of the cultural heritage. Delegates did not have to travel far for two visits. The first, to neighbouring Phoenix Park, was led by chief park superintendent John McCullen. He described the history of this impressive open space of over 700 hectares close to Dublin’s city centre. Conceived as a royal deer park in 1662, Phoenix Park was opened to the public as early as 1747. Managing the park today involves making difficult decisions, in order to protect the park’s heritage while still maximising its use as a public open space. The second visit, introduced by garden historian Terence Reeves-Smyth, was to the nearby Irish National War Memorial Gardens, at Islandbridge on the south bank of the River Liffey. These were laid out in the 1930s to a design by Sir Edwin Lutyens as a memorial to nearly 50,000 Irish men and women who died in the first world war. After a period of severe neglect and neardereliction in the 1970s and early 1980s, restoration was begun in 1985. This impressive monument is now well cared for by Ireland’s Office of PublicWorks. Christopher Dingwall, research adviser to the Garden History Society in Scotland. The recently renovated Farmleigh House, on the edge of Phoenix Park, provided a grand setting for the conference. Roses were still in bloom when delegates visited the recently restored Irish NationalWar Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge in Dublin, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
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