Peace Garden, St Mary's Amersham

St Mary’s primary school wanted to create a peace garden to support pupils in the aftermath of Covid, providing an accessible, welcoming and calm space within which they could feel closer to nature.

Designed by the children themselves, giving them back a sense of agency coming out of lockdown, their ideas for the garden included seating, colour, fragrance and stepping stones. We unified these elements into a final design which was buildable, cost-effective, easy to maintain and safe.

The garden sits within a wider playground setting, with land scooped out to create a sheltered space at a lower level. Perennials, grasses and shrubs have been chosen for colour, texture and variety. Boulder seats were positioned to offer the potential of time alone or interaction with others. 

This garden has been transformational, delivering an oasis of calm within a busy school. It was made possible thanks to generous donations of time, workmanship and materials from the landscaping community.