The Lost Gardens of Heligan will once again open its gates on behalf of The Royal British Legion this Remembrance Sunday, enabling visitors and gardeners alike to remember the fallen, and help raise vital funds for serving and ex-service community and their families.
Remembrance Sunday holds a special place in the hearts of those at Heligan as they continue to remember the ‘Lost Gardeners’ of the pre-1914 Heligan Estate. This year, Remembrance Sunday is all the more poignant, as it marks the end of the centenary period. As the clock strikes 11, visitors will be invited to join Heligan staff in the Melon Yard to observe a two minutes silence. The ceremony will include a dove release and conclude with a live musical performance.
Then, at 11.30am a brand-new art exhibition ‘In Their Name: Don’t Come Here to Sleep or to Slumber’ by South African artist Lize Krüger, will open in the newly restored, Gardeners’ Bothy, previously unseen by visitors.
‘In Their Name: Don’t Come Here to Sleep or to Slumber’ is a collection of three stunning artworks all brimming with deep symbolism and meaning; portraying the inter-relationship between the garden and its men and conveying the resilience of the garden, its gardeners and soldiers.
“Before Heligan came into my life I was a bit like the Garden – Lost. My introduction to the grounds from Alex Smit excited me and I immediately experienced a deep connection with all that is and was Heligan. Its story and invisible mystery captured me, and it felt like a homecoming” comments Lize Krüger “Because I could relate to the history and human story on quite a few levels, my fear of not being able to present an authentic celebration of the men’s lives diminished. The commitment and process forced me out of my own almost 10 year ‘sleep and slumber’. During the creation of these three works I moved in and out of the drama as spectator and participant simultaneously. Heligan dictates and I am enchanted….”
To close the four-year-long programme of Arts events commemorating The Gardeners of Heligan House and their service during World War 1. ‘In Their Name’ will reach a moving and visually stunning finale as the trio of exquisite art works, especially commissioned by Heligan, are displayed at the heart of The Gardens first discovered by Tim Smit and John Nelson back in 1990, in the newly restored building, Gardeners’ Bothy.
There will be no garden admission charges made that day, though visitors are encouraged to make a minimum £2 per person donation to the Royal British Legion.
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