Award-winning West Dean Gardens, near Chichester in West Sussex has announced that it will re-open to the public on Friday, June 26, 2020. Entry is by timed tickets available to book online, and pre-booking is essential. Visitors can expect to step into Summer in the gardens with the new foxglove display, beautiful stretches of wild meadow and vibrant rhododendron up in the arboretum and enjoy the variety of tranquil spaces West Dean Gardens is so well known for.

West Dean College aims for on-site teaching from September. 

There’s no denying that the past two months have been a life changer for many people whether it be financially and/or professionally. Rising unemployment and recession against a backdrop of wide-scale change and, for many, more time to think about what is truly important, can be the catalyst for a career-change. Those graduating into a flat market may also instead opt to pursue their Masters, preparing for a post-crisis world and side-stepping the immediate struggle to find a job.

Just before Lockdown, West Dean College of Arts and Conservation acquired a new artwork, adding to its diverse and internationally important Collection. The small yet significant watercolour shows the interiors of the grand entrance hall in 1812, revealing how West Dean House, now home to the College, would have looked after James Wyatt extended the property in the early 1800s. 

To coincide with International Nurses day on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, West Dean Gardens, near Chichester in West Sussex, are extending an open invitation to NHS nurses and all their NHS colleagues to visit the award-winning gardens for free, once the gardens reopen.
 

The face-to-face teaching may be suspended but the learning continues. West Dean College of Arts and Conservation has introduced a series of bite-size master tips, studio insights and mini tutorials from the College’s expert line-up of Short Course Tutors on YouTube and across the College’s social media channels.

Much-loved West Dean Gardens, on the outskirts of Chichester may be closed to the public at the moment, but it continues to be a source of ‘virtual’ inspiration in the current climate, whether it be the magnificient magnolias by the pergola or the delicate Snakeshead Fritillaries under the fruit trees around the walled garden.

David Howell, an Icon accredited conservator with over 30 years in the conservation profession has joined West Dean College of Arts and Conservation as a tutor on the MA Collection Care and Conservation Management part-time course. 

Students have recently had first-hand experience of preparing the West Dean College of Arts and Conservation’s iconic Lobster Telephone for an exhibition at the Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, Germany. The exhibition, Salvador Dalí and Hans Arp – The Birth of Memory explores the parallels between the two artists, featuring well-known works from international museums and collections.

The gardeners at award-winning West Dean Gardens near Chichester are putting plans into place for the Spring and Summer, and there is a range of fascinating upcoming garden workshops and talks.