Award-winning garden opens to the public

7 hours ago

Kat Cowen,in Sheffieldand

Fiona Callow

Garden designer Sarah Eberle said the sculpture represented "the heart and soul of the place"

BBC/Kat Cowan A woman with short grey hair stands in front of a large wooden sculpture of a resting woman. She wears a suede jacket, colourful scarf and dark blue jeans. The wooden sculpture is part of a park installation. — Garden designer Sarah Eberle said the sculpture represented "the heart and soul of the place"

An award-winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden which was permanently relocated to the Grade II listed Park Hill Flats in Sheffield has opened to the public.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England garden "On the Edge", designed by Sarah Eberle MBE, won a gold medal and Garden of the Year this year's event.

Its centrepiece, a huge wooden figure of Greek Earth goddess Gaia, has been reassembled in the grounds of the brutalist flats, with plants to be added later this year.

Eberle said she felt the sculpture represented "the heart and soul" of the location and hoped she would give "some comfort to people here, like she has to us".

Sculptor Chris Wood carved Gaia from sequoia trees sourced from across the country, using chainsaws to achieve the finished piece.

He said it was "wonderful" to see the sculpture permanently displayed, adding: "She really fits the space, it's like she was meant to be here."

The wooden figure and stone body was carefully reconstructed on site and the surrounding gardens were landscaped to create walkways through the park.

The garden won a gold medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026

BBC/Kat Cowen A large wooden sculpture lies on the grass in-front of a huge colourful block of flats. — The garden won a gold medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026

Contractor Paul Amato said the job was "definitely out of the ordinary" for his business Peak Landscapes.

Although the hot weather had made the project "very difficult" at times, it had "been amazing" to be part of the process, he added.

Residents of Park Hill also expressed their delight that the garden had transformed their communal green space.

Naomi Lopez, 63, said she was "blown away" that the area had been chosen.

"I love the fact it's accessible for anybody in Sheffield," she said.

"She's so beautiful and calming. She's the heart of Park Hill now. The beating heart."

The garden will be accessible to the public

BBC/Kat Cowen A large wooden sculpture lies on the grass in-front of a huge colourful block of flats. A path winds through a grassy area in front of the sculpture and people sit around the park. — The garden will be accessible to the public

Johann Nagel has lived at Park Hill for seven years and is a member of the garden group, which will help maintain the space in the future.

"There were a few people who were a bit worried about how [Gaia] would settle in, but the moment she arrived, everyone seemed to be delighted," he said.

"She's part of our community already, which is great."

He added that he was looking forward to seeing the garden's use in the future.

"What I envisage is there will be more people spending longer in this garden. It will become a garden that people enjoy rather than just pass through."

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