About The Gardener’s Cottage
The Gardener’s Cottage is a small detached dwelling outside the main centre’s front door. It was the original home for the Leng Family’s full-time gardener. The cottage hasn’t been inhabited for nearly two decades therefore it needs some upgrades, repairs, and restoration to the original and period features.
Thanks to funding from Rural & Islands Ideas into Action Fund (Inspiring Scotland) we are undertaking some building repairs. These will be led by craftspeople and artists Andy Slater and Andrew French. Some of the repairs and restoration will include participatory learning experiences and workshops teaching people trade and crafts skills. From repairing windows and glazing to fitting a new kitchen, participants will learn the techniques and processes necessary to maintain their own home.
Participating Artists
Led by Andy Slater and Andrew French, artists, makers, and craftspeople have dedicated time to renovating the cottage:
- Henri Meadows
- Mickey Mallett
- Rosie Handley
- Finlay Hall
The project is funded by Scottish Government’s Rural and Islands Communities Ideas into Action Fund.
Forgan Arts Centre Director, Jennifer White, and Funding Development Office, Kenny Christie, speak about The Gardener’s Cottage and what’s next for the project.
How to get involved
As part of this project we have hosted a series of free workshops demonstrating how to do basic home repairs, redecoration and restoration, from plastering to replacing a window pane.
As part of a partnership with Madras College, we support six young people who feel excluded from mainstream education to come and work on the cottage. The students actively undertook repairs, restoration, and redecoration throughout the cottage.
