Bench repair

One of our beautiful Marnock benches has been removed from the Gardens after it was vandalised. We’re grateful to Chris Lenton, one of the creators of the benches, who has offered to repair it free-of-charge.

The benches are a pair, installed either side of the steps up to the Mediterranean Garden in 2023. One was funded by the family of our former chair, Jill Thompson, in her memory, and the other was paid for by the Friends to celebrate Robert Marnock, the original designer of the Gardens. The design was inspired by a bench seen in an 1840 engraving of the Gardens. They were designed and made by local craftsmen Finbarr Lucas and Chris Lenton.