Horatio's Garden Room offers a space of sanctuary and reflection within a garden created for people in rehabilitation following spinal injury. This unique and fully accessible structure, designed by Mcmullan Studio, is a central feature of Harris Bugg's celebrated garden, which was awarded Best Show Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2023.
Horatio's Garden Room
Mcmullan Studio for Harris Bugg and Horatio's Garden, London/Sheffield
“The garden is uplifting, beautiful, and considered and for someone who has had a life altering spinal injury it will provide them with a wonderful sanctuary. The brief and the garden was delivered at an exceptional level.”
The complex pod structure envisioned by Mcmullan Studio, with its reciprocating curved roof, demanded detailed design work and a combination of traditional timber construction techniques and modern CNC methods at fabrication stage. Accuracy and attention to detail were at the forefront of our minds in developing the fabrication methodology for this project.
Due to the constraints of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show site, the entire structure was prefabricated at our studio. The garden room was then transported across London and lifted into place by our friends at Padraig Solutions. On site, our team completed final finishing under guidance from experienced landscapers Ryan Alexander Associates and visionary garden designers Harris Bugg.
↑Lifting the prefabricated structure into place
→Seen in context, the garden room echoes the soft curves of the grit stone cairns created by Noble Stonework
Horatio's Garden Room is full of natural materials and rich detailing inside and out. The poplar shingles – sustainably sourced from Devon – create a warm and haptic exterior. The plywood-clad internal walls are gently curved, with cork lining to create a subtle cushion on the lower portion. Lowered windows offer views of the garden from a seated or reclining position.
↑The garden room was envisaged as a "restorative haven" by architect Andrew Mcmullan
←An installation of ceramic thumbprints creates a moving tribute to the Horatio's Garden community, including patients, staff and volunteers, as well as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show team
The garden room is a central feature of Harris Bugg's design for the eighth Horatio's Garden, which will be permanently sited in expanded form at the Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Centre at Northern General Hospital in Sheffield in 2024.
