Overview
Cliff Gardens in Seaford has been transformed into an attractive public garden and educational space that celebrates the remarkable coastal habitats found locally, while exploring one of the most pressing challenges facing them: climate change.
Originally envisioned by Seaford Community Partnership and delivered by the South Downs National Park Authority in liaison with Seaford Town Council, the garden brings together seven planting beds inspired by habitats ranging from shingle pioneer communities and chalk cliffs to species-rich downland. Drought-tolerant and climate-resilient planting demonstrates how different species have adapted to challenging conditions, and what these adaptations can teach us about survival in a changing climate.
The brief
Fitzpatrick Woolmer was commissioned to create a coordinated suite of visitor orientation and interpretation that would bring the story of Cliff Gardens to life. The challenge was to make complex environmental subjects accessible and engaging, while creating a strong connection between the plants and habitats visitors could see around them and the wider environmental challenges affecting Seaford and the South Downs.
The interpretation needed to work across the garden as a whole, introducing visitors to its purpose while providing more detailed stories alongside each planting bed. It also needed to explore wider themes including fossil fuels, greenhouse gases, water resources and rising sea levels.
The interpretation was designed to make climate change feel relevant, local and tangible. Rather than presenting it as an abstract global issue, the scheme uses familiar landscapes, wildlife and plant species to show how environmental change is already connected to the places people know and enjoy.
A combination of mapping, illustration, photography and accessible interpretation creates a varied and engaging visitor experience, helping people discover the connections between individual species, coastal habitats and the wider climate story.
Our approach
Two large Musketeer™ oak lecterns provide the main orientation points, introducing visitors to Cliff Gardens and explaining the story behind the space. These are complemented by seven smaller Chelmer oak lecterns positioned alongside the individual planting beds, each helping visitors understand the habitat and species represented there.
We also developed interpretation for three sculptural buoys representing Earth, Air and Water. These distinctive features broaden the story beyond the planting beds, introducing visitors to wider environmental subjects and encouraging them to think about the relationship between climate, natural resources and the changing coastline.
Fitzpatrick Woolmer designed, printed, manufactured and installed the complete interpretation scheme, bringing together the different elements into a cohesive visitor experience. The graphics were printed onto durable n-Viro™ aluminium panels with a DuoGuard™ anti-graffiti coating, providing a robust and long-lasting solution for the exposed coastal environment.
The result
Cliff Gardens now provides an engaging educational resource for residents, visitors and local schools, bringing biodiversity and climate resilience together in a setting that feels immediate and familiar.
By connecting the plants beneath visitors’ feet with the wider environmental challenges facing Seaford and the South Downs, the interpretation helps turn a complex subject into something people can see, understand and relate to, encouraging greater awareness of biodiversity, climate resilience and the practical steps we can all take to protect the natural world.
