Celebrating the opening of the Bevin Boys Miners Memorial Garden
Plantology Ltd is proud to celebrate the official opening of the Bevin Boys Miners Memorial Garden at Eureka Park, Swadlincote. A thoughtful, plant-led tribute to the thousands of young men who were conscripted into Britain’s coalfields during World War II. We were honoured to be appointed as landscape architect for the project and to work with a brilliant local team of artists, schools, contractors and the council to bring the garden to life.
A place of remembrance and local story
The garden sits on land shaped by the area’s mining past and has been designed to be a calm, reflective space that also celebrates community memory. Visitors arriving at Eureka Park now find new planting beds, textured paving, seating and a striking commemorative artwork that together tell stories of the “underground front.” The scheme’s layout and plant palette were selected to provide year-round structure and texture and colour, creating a tranquil backdrop for the memorial pieces.
Working with the community and creative partners
This project brought together a number of wonderful partners:
local pupils from Belmont Primary School, who took part in workshops and helped design tiles that form part of the 6m commemorative mosaic; and People Express, who coordinated the community arts elements.
mosaic artist Coralie Turpin, who led the large circular artwork that sits proudly in the garden.
sculptor Anthony Hammond, whose pit-pony and driver sculpture is an evocative reminder of the lives, tools and animals of the mines; Anthony shared how honoured he was to be involved in the memorial.
South Derbyshire District Council and local officials, community groups and members of the public who joined the opening ceremony at Eureka Park.
Plantology’s role was to weave these pieces into a coherent landscape, creating accessible circulation, showcase the artworks, naturalistic planting, and create a garden to be enjoyed for generations.
A short reminder: who were the Bevin Boys?
The Bevin Boys were young British men conscripted between 1943 and 1948 to work in coal mines rather than being posted to the armed services. Nearly 48,000 men served as Bevin Boys, a vital and often dangerous civil contribution to the war effort that wasn’t widely recognised for many years. Although they were entitled to education and training benefits after the war, formal recognition only came decades later. The garden and its artworks are part of an ongoing effort to make that contribution visible and to honour the underground front.
What the garden aims to do
Remember provide a dignified place to honour Bevin Boys and local mining families.
Educate tell the story of conscription to the mines, the working lives underground, and the community impact, especially for younger visitors who took part in the mosaic workshops.
Connect offer a peaceful spot in Eureka Park where local residents, school groups and visitors can reflect and learn.
Thank you
We want to thank everyone involved — South Derbyshire District Council, the landscape contractors, the artists, the primary school children, representatives of Bevin Boys groups and the many members of the public who came to the opening. It’s been a privilege to translate local history into living landscape and to help create a soft, resilient setting for the memorial artworks.
If you’d like to learn more about the design, the planting palette we used, or to request images and press materials, email us at hello@plantology.co.uk or visit our project page.
