Oakwood Gate was the main entrance to Risley’s Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF), and was home to three reservoirs serving the needs of the factory.  After WWII ended, much of the site became redundant and was later demolished to make way for the new town of Birchwood, however, Reservoir 2 (which was a 50m square, made of reinforced concrete) still remained in the early ‘80s.   ‘The Walled Garden’ was created from this space and became a ‘Botanical Interest Garden’ open to the local community.  

These photos show what a poor state the gardens are in:

For the most part, ‘The Walled Garden’ is a forgotten and under-maintained historical feature and ‘beauty spot’ within Birchwood. The Birchwood Partnership has been working with Warrington Borough Council and Birchwood Town Council to try to change this.  A petition and a consultation were undertaken to gather the thoughts of local people and to determine if there was a desire within the community to rejuvenate the garden whilst ascertaining local priorities for the space. A Steering Group consisting of officers from The Birchwood Partnership, Warrington Borough Council and Birchwood Town Council was established in 2009, and has been meeting regularly to develop a Project Brief and Phasing Plan, split into 3 sections for the garden and surrounding areas. Phase 1 is the interior and immediate exterior of the Walled Garden.  This proposal has been put to an external body with the hope of securing adequate funding to carry out phase I of this work.

The initial phase would involve:

• Thinning out of growth adjacent to the Walled Garden
• Thinning out of growth within the Walled Garden
• Removal of the existing boardwalk path within the Walled Garden
• Increasing the width of the North West Walled Garden corner entrance to allow vehicular access for heavy plant 

Hard Landscaping:

• Supply and construct the asphalt pathways through the walled garden
• Supply and fitting of 3 benches

 Soft Landscaping:

• Introduction of an "informal walking route" comprised of wood chippings (1.2m) to the Sluice Gate

The work we intend to carry out will improve accessibility and light around and within the garden and improved one-level walkways will enable easier access for individuals with physical disabilities and carers or those with young children. 

A funding bid was submitted to WREN for Phase 1, and although it has been confirmed that a provisional funding allocation has been made for the project, we have to secure a further £36,000 in funding from another source in order to release it.  To that end, a bid was made to The Veolia Trust for the remaining monies.  Unfortunately the bid to Veolia was not successful.

UPDATE - JANUARY 2012

Unfortunately, we were not able to secure the balance of funding needed to progress with this project so it has had to be put to one side for now.  We hope to return to it in the not too distant future.