The Original Space
The original space between the Old Market and the Arch was an empty area consisting of a flat cement floor and stones. The area immediately outside the Old Market on the East side was a paved road consisting of a one way system that connected Upper Market Street to Lower Market Street. Stephen Neiman of The Old Market Trust hired a group of landscape designers to lay out the garden. They built narrow cement troughs on the south side of the garden space which unfortunately is a North facing wall. So no sunshine. The original garden design consisted of numerous boxwood bushes and creepers dotted along the full length of the south wall. Altogether an uninspiring collecting of greenery in inadequate sized containers.
This north facing wall is now planted with specially selected climbing roses, chosen for their ability to grow on a cold north facing wall. All are highly perfumed.
Above and Left: The main area of the garden in the early stages of construction.
The north and east facing walls had the cement troughs built and boxwood bushes planted.
Olive trees were planted in the ground to the North and South and East of The Old Market. Today these have grown to almost the full height of the building and are a resting place for numerous birds.
Thanks to the communities generous contributions the garden has been brought to life by planting four olive trees in the ground. The proximity of the garden to the sea has limited the number of plant species that survive the strong winds and salty air. However, by trial and error a variety of species have been planted to not only add colour but also to beautify what was a barren public foothpath.
We built two rose beds along this wall and added three Garden Benches. In addition there are several large flower pots and a Grape Vine planted at the far end.