Please note - this page is under construction and some of this info may change. JOIN THE GARDENERS
THE EXCHANGE’s garden is Designed by award-winning garden designer Sarah Price, and planted and maintained by a group of local volunteers. OUR garden is growing into a must-see green space.
The Exchange is a community-owned organisation that uses the heritage of Erith’s Old Library - as a space that was designed and built by local people in 1906 - to inspire new community-led programmes and activities. It was refurbished and brought back to its former glory in 2019. Our garden was designed by the award-winning Sarah Price, and is now looked after by our Head Gardener, Colin Stewart.
The Gardeners are a team of committed volunteers - the guardians of our garden. We have 3 main areas of our garden and it needs thoughtful care throughout the different seasons of the year.
To become a Gardener, please get in touch here.
The GARDEN
HERMES GARDEN
At the front of the building, the garden is inspired by the Mediterranean, with a planting scheme that recalls the beauty of the Greek islands, as well as the garrigues of southern France and fynbos of South Africa. The plants were kindly donated by Paris fashion house, Hermès, after the culmination of an incredible summer garden terrace installation designed by Sarah Price for their Mayfair flagship store.
WEST & SOUTH BEDS
The planting at the west and south of the building creates a softer feel with roses, alliums, clematis and tulips. This understated and colour-rich planting is interwoven with rusted metal fencing recalling the town’s industrial past, creating raw textures that make the designer’s painterly style sing.
The beds are connected by meandering paths and we are introducing areas to sit and gather. These areas will be laid with hand-made brick tiles developed by Local Works Studio using reclaimed materials from the building works and locally sourced clay. The bricks themselves have been made by the community.
THE GREENHOUSE
The Greenhouse is inspired by the story of Florence Barton-Young, the Head Librarian of the Old Library for over 20 years, and the Travelling Library Van which she commissioned in the 1930s. This was the first ever purpose-built mobile library, and the second mobile library ever to be commissioned in the UK. It was built to serve the District of Erith, travelling to areas of the borough that were then much harder to reach.
The actual vehicle is now safely stored in the Science Museum’s collection in Wroughton. We were not able to get it back, but instead used the photographs and plans for the original to inspire a new Greenhouse for our garden.
Fabricated by Surrey Ironcraft with the support of structural engineers Buro Happold, this incredible new piece of metal craft is a welcome addition to our green space and a fitting memorial to Florence.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
If you don’t fancy yourself as a Gardener, there are other opportunities which may be better suited to your skills set and are equally as valuable to the running of The Exchange - read more about those here.
