Delancey Garden Project (13 August 2011)

OFFICIALLY OPENED ON AUGUST 13 2011 BY HIS EXCELLENCY AIR MARSHAL PETER WALKER

Delancey Park is a well established public park in the St Sampson's area in the north of the island of Guernsey. The view from the park across the nearby Belle Greve bay to St Peter Port and beyond to the islands of Herm, Sark and Jersey is truly magnificent. The park has been maintained but has never reached its full potential with the location and views it offers. Many areas have been left to grow wild over the years and thus the general public has not been attracted to take advantage of its position.

The Rotary Club of Guernsey, through its then President Jerry Girard, had the idea to construct a new garden on the east facing area of the park overlooking the local bowling club. This is the aspect of the park that offers the best views and was entirely derelict and overgrown with the remains of the German occupation still interfering with the landscape. It had the potential to be a wonderful picnic spot for everyone in the Parish and to attract people to the park from all over the island as well as visitors. In the case of the latter to an area which they would not normally visit.

Coincidentally a group of business people on the island decided to address the situation created by the lack of investment in the park and have developed plans to restore the park to its former glory (the De Saumarez Trust) thus allowing the general public to enjoy the wider aspects of the park. The redevelopment includes a new childrens playground as well as fully restoring the obelisk monument destroyed by the Germans during the islands occupation from 1940-1945.

The project itself has seen the removal of bushes, shrubs, weeds and general debris from across the site. This was followed by installing a winding path from the top to the bottom of the sloping site.  The path was constructed using sympathetic material for the edging and the top surface finished with stone dust.

Three large flower/shrub beds were cut from the existing grass on the level top of the site and 5,000 (purple) Crocus bulbs were planted. For public seating five picnic benches, made from recycled plastics were installed on concrete bases.

The existing German bunker which dominates the site was cleaned down and the top coated in epoxy gravel with a Granite Rotary rundle incorporated into the centre. Two park benches, again made from recycled plastic were then fixed in position either side of the Rundle.

Existing paths were then lined with granite slabs and again finished in stone dust and then planting of the whole site took place.

The finished effect is a stunning garden overlooking a fabulous bowling green with views beyond that even Renoir could not resist painting - just as he did elsewhere in Guernsey.