Your Comments:
Rob Williams
If any kind of campaign is to be successful, the project really needs to do better with its website. The information on http://www.mnlg.com/curtis/ is still viewable, but hasn't been updated since 2004. I've just seen the UK Style Gardens re-screening of Chris Beardshaw's exploration of the gardens which I think dates from 2003 or 2004 and I have seen no pictures or information anywhere to say that any progress has been made! How about inviting the Gardeners World team to put gardens up for sponsorship in the same way as Griff Rhys Jones has been doing for architecture? get Chris to revisit all the gardens he went to and invite people to donate money by phone?
Miss C. Wigmore
As someone not living on the island, but intending to stay at Chateau la Chair partly because of its beautiful garden, I think that the money for its restoration should come from the tourism budget, as that is is through tourism that you will recoup the money spent. It would seem unfair for ratepayers to fot the bill.
James, Coventry
I saw Sylvia Burman's question regarding the 'Fantastic Gardens' sadly they no longer exist and I believe heve been replaced by a housing development. The gardens were not only full of exotic plants but also statues and artifacts - mainly from Asia. I wonder what happened to these when the gardens were demolished?
Katy
£3 million?! Why not invest the money into cheaper airlines and ways to actually get here/off?! Its ridiculous. We all know its cheaper to get to Spain etc than it is to come here so WHY aren't we competing?!
Howard Drury
Following a recent so called gardens of Jersey tour I was amazed at your local residents attitude towards the garden, most do not want the cost while others were concerned as to the impact locally. I was bitterley disapointed with what few gardens the island could offer, had it not been for Judith Queree and Lady Gutherie it would have been most disapointing. If you are to develop the idea of restoring the garden it will need other gardens to come onboard and very careful restoration. As an ex Edinburgh Botanic man I would love to be involved but you do need both money and a package to sell - so far it is not there and I question after my tretment at the hands of your tourist board if I will every visit again - especially when the Irish touorist board seem able to do at the drop of a hat your island promoters are unable to do - provide good all round gardens and help for visiting parties. I have never been treated in such a way in 20 years of leading garden holidays world wide! howard@thedrurys.com
June
Please can we have an update on what is happening today and how the visitors from Georgia USA enjoyed their visit. Thanks
Sylvia Burman
Some years ago in the early sixties I worked in a place called the Fantastic Gardens and I would be very interested to know more myself and also to see these gardens take shape again, if they are the same as mentioned above I feel it is a great shame they have been closed at all. I have recently spoken about the fact that I would like to see these in existance again and would be very interested to receive any information relating to them.
Reg Langlois
I sent this messege to Angie Petkovic.........Hello Angie, thank you for allowing me to join the group yesterday (Thursday).
Originally I had been a little concerned that the gardens at La Chaire were nothing but a pie in the sky, just a dream.
Rumours had it that it was only going to benefit the hotel, there is no parking area, that you could never get 60,000 visitors a year and that you were going to ask the
islanders to fork out up to £7,000,000.
I went along to the garden yesterday with an almost open mind. I like a lot of other
people around the Island have been talking about the garden and how it will be
a total waste of money.
After I asked a load of questions with all concerned yesterday about the project,
I am now totally convinced that your dream will come true. There will be a lot more
PR work to be done on the locals and they will take some convincing that you are only going to ask for £1,600,000 and no more. Bad publicity as we have seen in the
media lately will not help your cause, that will have to be reversed soon as possible. Car parking is going to be one of the largest hurdles to get over. I like the idea of a low profile entrance to the garden, I also like the idea of replanting the garden with
the same plants in the same place as had been planted years before.
I would like to go on to talk about........views from the garden, hotel interference,
pathways, neighbours, traffic, safety, educational visits, planning models showing early stages of the project....................
.........Sorry I am chatting too much.....what I am trying to say is that you have a GEM there, look after it, brilliant idea, I wish I had thought of it first.
Susan Harley, London SW15
If it's proved that the Germans pillaged the gardens during the war, can we get some money from the German government towards restoration work? Or the European Union? I really hope this project goes ahead.
Elizabeth Baer
I have a fund of facts and knowledge about the Curtis family and in particular Samuel. We lived in his Essex family (13 children) home surrounded by his original botanical and horticultural gardens of 50 acres.
In this garden and glass houses he grew every known plant and subscribers could visit the gardens for plants (particularly fruit trees. It was a great success and I would think something like this in Jersey in the right hands could be a major attraction.
We ourselves opened the Essex garden daily to parties every day for two months, usually two coach parties every day, and the gardens were enjoyed over 8 years by thousands of people and became very well known.
I would be happy to contribute to this new venture with sources and literature, but do not want to tell all at this stage. I even have a Samuel Curtis garden artefact of great Curtis family interest which might adorn the garden. Please contact me soon as I will be moving house shortly and to new address. I would like to talk to Ms. Petkovic if possible.
Elizabeth Baer
Anne Barnes
In the early thirties My family owned a small cottage called Petit Coin just at the bottom of Rozel hill and almost in the grounds of Chateau Le Chaire.We kids had such fun playing in the secret garden!!
J Palmer
Having spent many years in Rozel, almost in the shadow of 'Chateaux la Chaire' my point of view may be slightly biased.
Some one had obviously spent a fortune creating them about 170 yrs ago (dont know the exact date -before I get shot down in flames!).
As teenagers & adults we loved the strange house & gardens & knew that they needed more time, care & money that any of us could provide. Maybe Pinewood Studios or relatives of 'Cubbi Broccoli' would like to donate to the restoration?
After all, 'Bond Movies' where frequently played in the gardens late at night, (bit of a nightmare if u where studying or for that matter trying to run a restuarant.
I think the gardens have fantastic potential (Alan Titmarsh to the rescue?) a little bit of our hidden history, but would rather The States of Jersey spent Our Money more pressing problems!
Roy McCarthy
I'm just bemused as to how this treasure had to be rediscovered. I understand it was a tourist attraction less than 100 years ago and surely the owners of the hotel have some idea of what lies within the property they own? Perhaps we might turn up lots of other things if we start looking around! I hope that the gardens are restored, but please don't throw public money at it.
Ann, Cornwall
During the last week I have recieved (via a Jersey friend) the article in the JEP on the garden and also started reading a book on Tresco Abbey Gardens by Mike Nelhams. To my mind the garden at Rozel may have more in common with this garden than somewhere like Heligan.
Tresco is certainly a plantspersons garden, but judging by the photographs it has continued to develop over time. Perhaps this is worth considering rather than trying to return the garden to the past.
From my understanding Samuel was fascinated by plants so should it not be the plants that do the talking.
Feasability and sustainability must be crucial, but from a horticultural student who enjoys plants please do not loose a historically significant garden!
Rosemary, Jersey
Samuel Curtis was an ancester of mine, so I'm naturally very interested in all developements.
Ian, Jersey
I can't see any garden let alone one that has very little parking and access is restricted bringing in an estimated 60,000 visits each year.
I'm sorry but 3 million to restore a garden, lets not be silly here, if a person or persons wish to restore this garden then great, but lets not waste money from the public purse in an area that has already been tried (fantastic gardens) which closed due to lack of visiters. If we do spend our money let it be on projects that the whole island will benefit from.
Reg, St Brelades
It is had to belive all the fuss that is being made about the gardens at Le Chaire and that the garden has plants from over the world.
The Fantastic Gardens in St Peters valley had all that plus a large car park, it was ready made as a tourist attraction.
In its hayday fourty years ago, it attracted thousands of visitors just to look at trees and plants.
Not a thought was given to the Fantastic Gardens when it was sold on .... I felt that the public should have bought it.
Cyfrin, SW Wales
I think it's a wonderful opportunity to restore the gardens as they were, but not to the grand level of calling it 'Eden with the roof off' It all seems so very expensive, and should not be at taxpayers expense. Even the feasability study seems way over-priced. Whatever happens please don't let it get so grand that it will cost an arm and a leg to visit.
Elanor, Jersey
I think that tourism should grab this opportunity. IF tv companies are interested then charge them for the privilege and use that money for the restoration and feasability studies that need to be undertaken. But please do not take the money out of the local's taxes, it won't be a popular move just as the steam clock wasn't.
Tigger
This seems too good an opportunity to waste. Could Tourism not find the money for the feasibility study? Then, if it is possible to re-create the garden, it seems a good candidate for C.I. lottery money - or even UK lottery money, which may encourage the States to allow it over here!
