belfast
Project Size: 1820m2
Completed: 2024
Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland transforms a previously overlooked hospital courtyard at the Spinal Injuries Unit, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, into a restorative landscape that places nature at the heart of recovery. Created for the charity Horatio’s Garden, the project provides a beautiful, fully accessible sanctuary for patients, families and healthcare staff, recognising the profound physical and emotional challenges faced by people adapting to life after spinal injury.
The garden reimagines an area of low-value amenity grass and fragmented hardstanding as a richly planted therapeutic landscape. A network of gently curving, wheelchair-accessible paths weaves through a sequence of distinct yet interconnected spaces, encouraging exploration, social interaction and quiet reflection. Every element has been designed to support independence and dignity, with seamless level access, generous circulation routes and spaces that can be enjoyed by patients with a wide range of mobility needs.
At the heart of the garden, a series of destinations offers different experiences and opportunities for engagement. A garden room, greenhouse and raised growing beds support horticultural therapy and year-round activity, while intimate garden pods provide privacy for conversations, counselling or moments of solitude. A circular social space and a gently animated water feature create focal points within the landscape, bringing people together and introducing the calming presence of sound and movement.
More than 900 square metres of immersive planting envelop the site, softening the surrounding hospital buildings and creating a biodiverse environment rich in seasonal interest. Layered woodland-edge planting, specimen trees and pollinator-friendly species foster a strong connection to nature while enhancing ecological value. The result is a garden that transcends its clinical setting: a place of beauty, hope and community where landscape becomes an active and essential part of the rehabilitation journey.
