St Godwald’s Retreat
A garden for reflection, remembrance and connection: designed by Marc Harbourne-Bessant and built by F.B & Sons for Primrose Hospice. RHS Bronze Medal, Malvern Spring Festival 2025.
A space to pause
St Godwald’s Retreat was conceived as a place for reflection, remembrance and connection. Designed by Marc Harbourne-Bessant and built by F.B & Sons for Primrose Hospice, it received an RHS Bronze Medal at the Malvern Spring Festival in 2025.
The design brief
The design brings together a reflective space, heritage crafts, reclaimed materials and naturalistic planting with many native species. The garden is intended to feel grounded and welcoming, with places to sit quietly or share time with others.
Craft, materials and atmosphere
The timber Reflection Lodge gives the garden a distinctive focal point and a sheltered place to pause. Planting, paths and seating work together to create a gentle rhythm through the space. Heritage craft and reclaimed materials are part of the garden’s character, connecting its sense of place with care for the resources used to make it.
Naturalistic planting
The planting softens the built elements and gives the garden movement, texture and seasonal interest. Many native species sit within the naturalistic scheme. The emphasis is on a garden that feels alive and offers a calm setting for the people who use it.
From show garden to permanent home
The project continued beyond the show. F.B & Sons dismantled, moved and rebuilt the garden at Primrose Hospice in summer 2025, giving the design a lasting home for the hospice community. The garden officially opened on 12 October 2025.
A lasting place of reflection
The outcome is more than a show display. St Godwald’s Retreat brings the design’s original purpose into a permanent setting where remembrance, connection and thoughtful craftsmanship can continue to be part of everyday life.
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St Godwald’s Retreat — project photograph
St Godwald’s Retreat — project photograph