The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens Visitor and Education Centre, Romsey
The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey contains one of the greatest collections of hardy trees and shrubs in the world and is an important centre for education and conservation. Hillier secured the future of the gardens by forming a charitable trust, of which Hampshire County Council became the sole trustee in 1977.
Visitor numbers are now in excess of 90,000 people a year and the design of the Visitor and Education Centre is aimed to create a new threshold for the visitor to experience the landscape. The three small pavilions contain a spacious restaurant, foyer, a lecture theatre/classroom, offices, a shop and toilets.
The facilities are arranged around an open courtyard, allowing generous outside space with views to the Hampshire countryside. By keeping the roofline as low as possible on the courtyard side, and using inverted roof trusses, the profile of the ceilings inside the buildings allows for large areas of glazing which enhance views across the gardens.
The Gardens themselves were extensively re-landscaped to create an informal approach to the buildings along a new avenue of Metaseqouia trees.
This project was made possible with generous donations from private sponsors,
together with a contribution from the County Council for the Educational
facilities. The project received the SCALA (Society of Chief Architects
in Local Authorities) Civic Building of the Year Award in 2004 - Winner.
