The Dan Pearson and William Morris Meadow

We worked with leading landscape designer Dan Pearson to develop a large-scale landscape commission which responded to our Arts and Crafts exhibitions that summer. The commission consisted of a mown parterre (a formally patterned flower garden) based on the designs of William Morris, which was set within a newly created wildflower meadow in our ‘Capability’ Brown parkland.

Seen from the gallery’s windows and sculpture terrace, the meadow became a formal parterre, in contrast to the freedom of its wild flowers experienced at ground level. This commission articulated the close relationship between Arts and Crafts houses and their gardens or surroundings. It also draws us close to Morris’ deep appreciation for nature and native plants. Dan Pearson’s meadow at Compton Verney has likewise been designed with the future in mind, as it will continue to develop and diversify throughout the year and beyond.

All funds for the project were raised through a successful crowdfunding campaign via the Art Fund’s Art Happens site, the UKs only crowd-funding platform for the museum sector artfund.org/arthappens