Tibetan Peace Garden
Imperial War Museum, London
- Developer: Tibet Foundation
- Architect: Guy Stansfield
- Project Manager: Hamish Horsley
- Sculptor : Hamish Horsley
- Stone Carvers: Sally Bower & Mark Frith
- Material: Bowers Basebed
The Tibet Foundation approached Sculptor Hamish Horsley to design the Peace Garden and to ensure that the garden combined the natural stone carvings with the setting of the park and made visitors relaxed.
The Garden known as Samten Kyil, Tibetan for “ Garden of Contemplation ", is a gift to the people of Britain from the people of Tibet and symbolises the meeting of East and West and the understanding of different cultures in an environment conducive to meditation.
The London Borough of Southwark gave permission for the Garden to be situated in the Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park , opposite the Imperial War Museum . The site chosen was in a conservation area therefore the design of the garden was critical as was the selection of materials used.
Bowers Basebed was selected by the Sculptor for the project due to its aesthetics, characteristics and ease of carving. The Portland Stone blocks selected were then carved into 8 meditation seats and four
Large sculptures to symbolise gateways, as well as a language obelisk.
The design of the peace garden is based on the Buddhist “Wheel of Time" the “Dharma Wheel". In the centre of the garden, carved in black kilkenny limestone, is the Kalachakra Mandala the symbol for world peace and well being for all whom see it.
Surrounding the Kalachakra Mandala are eight Portland Stone meditation seats. They are arranged to ensure that the Kalachakra Mandala can be seen and therefore promote a feeling of well being.
The obelisk language pillar, donated by Albion Stone Quarries, was used to draw attention to the political undercurrents in Tibet . Each side of the pillar has a message of peace carved four languages; Tibetan, English, Hindi and Chinese.
On the outer circle of the "Dharma Wheel" are four large Bowers Basebed Sculptures. These represent gateways for each of the elements; earth, water, air and fire these were placed on precise compass points. Each stone captures the essence of the Tibetan influence but combines it with a contemporary Western design. Stone seating was also incorporated behind each gateway.
The project took approximately 18 months to complete, with many of the large pieces being completed on site due to their size. The Samten Kyil was completed in the Spring of 1999 and his Holiness the Dalai Lama opened the garden to much media interest
The project cost approximately £400,000 with much of the funds being raised though donations from members of the public, film stars and celebrities.
Funds raised by The Tibet Foundation will go towards assisting Southwark Council to maintain the garden for future generations