Tower and Town, July 2018 (view the full edition)Friends Of The GardenMarlborough gardeners and art lovers will be delighted to know that the bi-annual Friends of the Garden sculpture exhibition is returning to its original home at Urchfont Manor from 22 June to 8 July. For many years Urchfont Manor was the County’s residential learning college but in 2013 it passed into private hands and Friends of the Garden exhibitions were held in several other equally impressive sites. The present owners are undertaking a major redesign of the garden with Chelsea gold winning design team Buono-del Gazerwitz. Their remit was for a design in keeping with the age of the house but with a 21st century twist. The result includes a clipped beech spiral maze, a sweeping mown path around an old orchard to a wildflower meadow, and a reflecting pool backed by clipped yew. Traditionally, many of these features would have incorporated statuary. Today these viewpoints, alcoves, parterres and other elements provide a stunning backdrop for the installation of contemporary sculpture. The forthcoming exhibition of over 100 sculptures will complement this backdrop and demonstrate how sympathetically placed sculpture can introduce a wonderfully creative dynamic to a garden. Open from 22 June until 8 July from 11am until 6pm (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). Entry £5. Urchfont Manor, Wiltshire, SN10 4RF. For more details visit www.friendsofthegarden.org.uk The Friends of the Garden is a voluntary organisation with the objective of promoting contemporary sculpture to a wider public by organising exhibitions in private gardens in Wiltshire. We also support sculptors through a biennial bursary programme. Both parts of our work are undertaken in partnership with local charity Pound Arts www.poundarts.org.uk . Contact for information: Lesley Andrews 01672 540180; admin@friendsofthegarden.org.uk  Lesley Andrews |