As a local design studio, we were delighted to be commissioned by Trowbridge Town Council as part of "Future High Streets Fund” project to create several planting schemes to enhance the public space area of Castle Street in Trowbridge. The Castle Street project was planted in October 2023 and is phase one of a larger public realm scheme within the town where we will be designing planting schemes for several newly landscaped areas to bring colour and enhance green spaces within an urban setting.

Trowbridge had a rich cloth industry heritage from the 14th century until the late 1980s. To pay homage to this industry, we created a design that reflects its vibrant history. The inspiration for the planting design came from a swatch book of woven cloths found in the Trowbridge Museum, produced in The Samuel Salter & Co Ltd mill in Court Street adjacent to Castle Street. The pattern and colours from the selected cloth was used to create the planting layout.

The brief for this project was to provide a low-maintenance planting scheme with an abundance of seasonal interest, encouraging pollinators and to bring lots of colour to brighten up this area of town. Over two days, 1600 perennials, grasses and bulbs were planted with the help of some wonderful volunteers.

The Future High Streets Fund is part of a government-funded project to renew and reshape 50 town centres and high streets within the UK to drive growth, improve experiences and ensure future sustainability. Trowbridge was successfully awarded £16.8 million as part of a 2-year project. The improvements will be completed by July 2025.