The Mosaics

We are keen to create as many opportunities for involvement as possible for different local groups so that as many people as possible can be made aware of the Secret Garden and feel that they ‘own’ it because they have had a hand in making it. We also want to introduce art into the garden in as many ways as we can and mosaic offers the opportunity for people with few artistic skills (under professional guidance) to create artwork that is long-lasting and of high quality.  

Thanks to funding from Milton Keynes Community Foundation we were able to engage professional artists Jill Kitchen and Cathy Ebbels to work with three local groups -  young mothers at SureStart, teenage mothers at MK Foundation Training and members of the Senior Citizens' Thursday Coffee morning to teach them mosic making skills and enable them to produce the work.  

Three of the designs were based on objects that might have been found in different rooms of the houses - and these were located appropriately in the villa imprints in the garden - the mangle in the scullery, the scales in the kitchen and the cat on the mat in the lounge. In addition two doorsteps were made in the style of encaustic tiled doorsteps of Wolverton terraced houses, with a train for the Stationmaster's House and  a quill, account book and money for the Accountant's house.