As you may have already heard The IBTC Lowestoft Broadland Boatbuilder’s Garden won a Gold Medal in the Artisan Garden category at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. We are very proud of this achievement and the incredible team work involved.
Following many months of preparation which involved the reconstruction of the medieval Chet boat which was found on the Broads in 2013, building began on site on May 10th. It took 10 days for us to transform a bare patch of grass into an ancient Broadland boatyard scene, complete with reed-bed and timber staithe.
A HUGE thank you to all the students and staff involved and those who patiently kept the day to day activities of the college running during the hectic build up.
We were visited by a host of celebrities and VIPs including the
Duchess of Cambridge, and we had plenty of good coverage in the media. For those who did not catch us
HERE is the link to the piece on Anglia TV about the building of the boat.
BBC Gardener’s World presenter Monty Don championed our craftsmanship!
We were delighted that it was the favourite garden of BBC Gardener’s World presenter Monty Don who said, “…my own taste is drawn very much to the Artisan Gardens and in particular this one… it’s that link between human skill and the natural world that I think is a celebration of life and certainly is exemplified in this Gold medal winning garden.”
Special thanks go to Natural Gardens for their wonderful wetland planting which looked effortlessly natural and wowed the crowds, but we were particularly pleased that the RHS judges gave top marks to the quality of the build, testifying to the skill and dedication of the team involved, which included both staff, students and members of Marine Services, the commercial arm of the college.
See the Chet boat at the Royal Norfolk Show
There is another chance to see the ¾ size replica of the medieval Chet Boat, built as the centrepiece for our Chelsea Flower Show garden, on display as part of the ‘Broads Village’ at this year’s Royal Norfolk Show on the 28th and 29th June