HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall to dedicate stone for the British Memorial Garden at Hanover Square, November 1, 2005

New York City, October 20, 2005: The Directors of the British Memorial Garden Trust, Inc. are honored to announce that Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will formally dedicate a center stone for the British Memorial Garden at Hanover Square in Lower Manhattan on November 1, 2005.  HRH The Prince of Wales is Royal Patron of the project.

The dedication ceremony, which will be attended by City and State government officials, as well as representatives of the Anglo-American community, will take place in Hanover Square.

The dedication stone was designed by Julian and Isabel Bannerman and interpreted by sculptor Simon Verity.               

For the required press accreditations to attend this event, contact Leslie Slocum at the British Consul General, 212 745-0258 or email BritishConsulateNY@fco.gov.uk.

"We are delighted and excited by Their Royal Highness's upcoming visit to our garden-in-progress," said Camilla G. Hellman, president of the British Memorial Garden Trust.  "Hanover Square is now very much in transition and we hope His Royal Highness enjoys seeing the development of the project of which he is Royal Patron."

Among those attending the dedication ceremony are the Earl of Albemarle, Sir Evelyn and Lady Rothschild, Eileen Guggenheim, Lord Colin Campbell, the Hon. Edwina Sandys, Sir Harold and Lady Evans (Tina Brown), Sir Dennis and Lady Weatherstone and Mrs. Drue Heinz.

Friends and the Directors of the British Memorial Garden Trust, Inc. are coordinating the building of the garden in Lower Manhattan at Hanover Square - located three blocks from Ground Zero - that will both commemorate the 67 British victims of the World Trade Center attacks and also serve as a place to celebrate the historic ties between the United Kingdom and the United States.  Construction on the garden was begun last summer, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held May 10, 2005. Current plans call for its completion in 2006.

A gift to the City and people of New York from the Anglo-American community and friends, the British garden at Hanover Square is a $6.5 million project funded by donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.

The British Memorial Garden Trust, Inc. was launched in April 2003 by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, who gave the garden a box of heirloom seeds from the Privy Gardens at Hampton Court Palace and other royal residences.  The seeds, which include Lupines and Marigolds, are typical of flowers that date back to the reigns of Henry VIII and William III.

The British Memorial Garden at Hanover Square was designed by noted British landscape architects Julian and Isabel Bannerman, known for their work at Highgrove for the Prince of Wales.  Central to the garden's design is to be a sculpture to unity by renowned British artist Anish Kapoor.  The sculpture will serve as the focal point of Remembrance Day observances.  Both the Bannermans' and Kapoor's designs were chosen through invitational juried competitions.  The designs for both the garden and sculpture have received full approval from the New York City government, the Art Commission and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. 

The very British design for the new park calls for a lush green landscape punctuated by fantastical topiaries and sinuously curving boxwood hedges.  All of the stonework for garden is from different parts of the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  The benches will be made of English Portland stone, and the paving stones will come from Caithness and Morayshire, Scotland.  

The triangular shape of the site inspired the Bannermans to incorporate an abstract map of the British Isles into the paving of the garden.  Using contrasting dark grey Caithness stone with creamy Morayshire insets, the map will be inscribed with the names of all the counties and territories of the United Kingdom, from an idea by Julian Bannerman.  The carving of the county and territory stones is being done by noted British sculptor Simon Verity.

A water rill with touches of Welsh slate will wend it way though the park.  Flowers such as Narcissus, Mock Orange, Periwinkle, Daffodils, Cyclamen and Lily of the Valley will keep the garden blooming from early spring into fall.  

For additional information, please contact: Peggy A. Brown, British Memorial Garden Trust, Inc., 212 682-7945 , email peggy.brown@britishmemorialgarden.org

For press accreditation, contact: Leslie Slocum, British Consulate General (New York), 212 745-0258, email BritishConsulateNY@fco.co.uk

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