Wakehurst in West Sussex sits in 465 acres of country estate with ornamental gardens, temperate woodlands and an Elizabethan Mansion.
It is home to Kew Gardens Millennium Seed Bank Partnership which aims to save plants worldwide with a focus on plants most at risk and most useful for the future.
Aquatech Pressmain supplied two sets of submersible irrigation pumps and controls systems to enable water to transfer from Southdrive Pond to Westwood Lake.
Although artificial, the lake is much more than a decorative feature. Obviously, it is a useful habitat for local plants and animals, but less so, it is vital as a water store for the estate. The small building alongside the path on the west side of the lake is a pump house, distributing water when needed to the many watering points on the estate’s irrigation system. Mains water from the public supply is never used to water the plants growing in the Nursery or in the estate.
Custom software in conjunction with energy efficient variable speed control system was used to ensure a set volume of water is transferred daily between the pond and lake for use by the irrigation system.
Design consultants: Skelly & Couch – London
Installation contractor: ETON Associates – London
Site information: http://www.kew.org/visit-wakehurst/index.htm
