Another Green World

Another Green World: Linn Botanic Gardens, Encounters with a Scottish Arcadia is a beautiful new book on one of Scotland's most impressive botanical gardens located on the Rosneath Peninsula, just a short drive from Cove Park.

Since encountering Linn during her residency at Cove Park in 2011, artist Alison Turnbull has worked with award-winning writer Philip Hoare on realising the publication. Alison's photographs and drawings and Philip's essay in the book are complemented by local photographer Ruth Clark's stunning images of the Gardens.

Cove Park have a limited number of books available for sale on our website and for this weekend only from the Cove & Kilcreggan Book Festival 2015. Proceeds from the sale of each book purchased from us will be donated to Linn Botanic Gardens.

Another Green World in the press

'A beautifully crafted artwork.'
Timothy Mowl, Times Higher Education, 5 November 2015

'The book is a unique representation of the garden's place in the landscape... A work of art in itself.'

Marianne Taylor, The Herald, 24 October 2015

'Linn Botanic Gardens: A Scottish Arcadia - in pictures'
Philip Hoare, The Guardian, 15 October 2015

Cove Park and Linn Gardens, Alison Turnbull, October 2015

'Artists find a Cove Park residency inviting because it comes with no specific requirements or rules of engagement - other than the opportunity for ‘inspired thinking’.

I arrived at Cove Park in the summer of 2011 with the intention of developing a new group of paintings and drawings.  Little did I realise that there, on its doorstep, I would also discover a unique and idiosyncratic botanic garden that would prompt me to new ways of working and lead to a collaboration with a writer, a photographer and an ecologist - not to mention two botanists, Jim Taggart and his son Jamie, the creators – and curators – of Linn Botanic Gardens.

These encounters resulted in the publication Another Green World - Linn Botanic Gardens published by Art/Books in association with Cove Park, designed by A Practice For Everyday Life and generously funded by Creative Scotland.

Working on the book has been an absorbing experience. After Jamie’s tragic disappearance in Vietnam in 2013 we decided – with Jim’s blessing – to continue with the project. If Another Green World – the book, and the exhibition that accompanies it at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh – help in some small way to safeguard the future of Linn Gardens, it will give me great satisfaction.'

Another Green World is published by Art/Books and supported by Creative Scotland and Historic Scotland. 

Landscape and poly tunnel research recce at Kilfinan

Last week we visited the amazing growing spaces at Kilfinan Community Forest in Tighnabruaich. Despite the torrential rain and grey skies we ventured around the allotments and spent time finding out about the huge success they’ve had with their poly tunnel, now its own social enterprise Kyles Allotment Group. We were also treated to a visit to their new hydroelectric generator and sites for camping, crofting and affordable housing built from timber from the land. Thanks to Nikki Brown and Sara McLean for showing us around and imparting words of wisdom!

We are still considering how to move forward with our plans for the 50-acre Cove Park site and we will let you know how our plans develop.

New visualisation of Artist Centre's exterior

A new visualisation of the Artist Centre's exterior by Cameron Webster Architects arrived in our inbox this week. It is great to see what the building will look like and get a sense of its scale and context in the landscape. The spring meadow in the foreground anticipates completion of the building in April 2016 and certainly brightens up the grey wintery (yes it has arrived!) day we are experiencing on the peninsula today.

Read more about the Clark Contracts' construction of the building on Scottish Construction Now.

Beginning to take shape

Our Capital Project Manager Catharine Kidd, braved today's dreich weather to provide us with a construction update: 

The new building is really beginning to take shape with the sub walls and the beam and block floor structure now in place (brought in by the crane featured in an earlier post). The footprint and elevation of the new building can really be seen as the outline of the new spaces emerge from the muddy ground. On a good day (not today!), the views out across Loch Long that the new building will embrace can already be appreciated. We are anticipating the arrival and erection of the timber frame of the building over the next few weeks, the sole plates for fixing this are already in place.

Foundations of new accommodation units and studios.

View across footprint of snug and meeting room (not a good day for appreciating the views!)

View of the new building from ground level.

Taking inspiration from our neighbours

Yesterday we were privileged to visit Kilmahew / St Peters, invited by our neighbours NVA. It was wonderful to tour the site and hear from Angus Farquhar, Clare Simpson and Rebecca Powrie the future plans for the unique exhibition and performance space. Peering into the building and exploring locations such as the walled garden in the wider Victorian designed landscape, we got a real sense of the ambition and scale of the project and forthcoming programme soon to be realised on our doorstep in Argyll & Bute.

The opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences of capital development projects and arts programmes was really nourishing and gave us the chance to think about opportunities for working together in the future.

Thanks Angus for producing a flask of warm tea which provided us with much needed fuel after a few hours in the foggy outdoors.

Goings on above the tree line

From Oak Pod we can hear and occasionally see what is happening with the build of the new Artist Centre. As we progress into Autumn and the trees shed their leaves more of the construction site is exposed from this low vantage point. Even more will become apparent as the building takes shape and appears above the tree line. The enormous crane that appeared on the horizon last week is an essential piece of kit to make that happen in the coming weeks.

Crane action shots to follow!