Landscape London
A guide to recent gardens, parks and urban spaces: The Tibetan Peace Garden, Samten Kyil
By Charlotte Hare
The Tibetan name ‘Samten Kyil’ means place (or garden) of contemplation. The garden is a gift from the Tibet Foundation to the people of Britain, symbolising the meeting of East and West, and representing a marriage of contemporary Western and traditional Tibetan imagery. The Tibet Foundation hopes that it will serve to create a greater awareness of Buddhist culture. After an initial inquiry by Hamish Horsley, Southwark Council offered a site close to the Imperial War museum. It’s an apt location, albeit rather noisy, and is rather more high profile than expected.
The circular design is based on the Buddhist image of the Dharma Wheel. At the centre of the circle, set in black Kilkenny limestone, rests a bronze cast of the Kalachakra Mandala (wheel of time) designed by Tibetan monks in India and later carved in plaster in the artist’s studio [in Sth London] by Tim Metcalf, Awang Dorjee and Issen Dimitrov. At gateways on the outer perimeter of the circle positioned at the compass points stand four stylised abstractions carved in Portland stone. These portray the elements: air (west gateway), fire (north), earth (east), and water (south). The open arena represents the fifth element, space. The five elements are held in Buddhism to constitute the basis of our whole existence: environment, life, and consciousness. Outside the arena is the Language Pillar on which a message for the millennium by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is carved in English, Tibetan, Chinese and Hindi.
Set into the paving around the mandala are the ‘Eight Auspicious symbols’ cast in bronze. Eight York stone meditation seats surround the central mandala, with herbs and plants from the Tibetan and Himalayan regions planted behind. White roses and the stems of white Himalayan birch (Betula jacquemontii) combined with the whiteness of the stone have further peace connotations. The layout of the paving and a finely detailed oak and steel pergola give the garden a sense of unity and a contemporary edge.
The garden is beautifully designed and executed. It is self-contained but will become more integrated with its surroundings once trees mature. Most important of all, it’s a monument to the courage and resilience of the Tibetan people.