GbLA landscape architects have designed a new and revitalised garden for the historic Kelly House in Beveridge focusing on enhancing the display of historical, architectural, social and archaeological values of the garden.  By taking an innovative approach to ‘archiving’, physical artefacts such as timber fencing and bluestone become key grounded or framing elements in the new garden.   A low impact, sensitive strategy was developed to minimise archaeological disturbance, with all remnant artefacts and vegetation retained in place where possible.  The landscape design enhances existing built heritage, exhibits its own historical timeline, and serves to accommodate future visitors to the site.

This innovative approach assumes that discovered material and artefacts contribute to the feel and reading of the new garden, imbuing it with a sense of an evolving and ongoing history.  Whilst traditional approaches to historic garden renovation might focus on including artefacts as part of an overt interpretative strategy inclusive of signage, GbLA elected to develop a landscape approach where existing artefacts are incorporated to assume new positions and relevance as focal points within the garden.  The old bluestone-lined well and stonework edge along with brick and degraded concrete surfaces are retained as indicators of past use of the garden, cracks and crevices become sites for moss, contributing to a sense of the cyclical processes of aging and renewal.