Tom Stuart-Smith to create a new garden for Tate Britain in partnership with the RHS

Tate Britain announced that Tom Stuart-Smith Studio, in collaboration with architects Feilden Fowles, has been selected to transform the landscape in front of the gallery. This new garden, to be named the Clore Garden, has been made possible by a generous donation from the Clore Duffield Foundation. Chaired by Dame Vivien Duffield, the foundation is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The project will be realised in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and will create a beautiful and welcoming new green space on London’s Millbank open to everyone.

Home to the world’s greatest collection of British art, Tate Britain attracts well over a million visitors each year. Its new garden will reframe the way these visitors approach the gallery from the river. Opening in 2026, the Clore Garden will offer an open invitation to rest and recharge, a space to encounter art and engage with the natural world, and a place for local communities to enjoy.

Alex Farquharson, Director of Tate Britain, said “I’m delighted that Tom Stuart-Smith will be creating a beautiful new garden to welcome visitors to Tate Britain. This continues our transformation of the gallery, following the complete rehang of our collection displays last year, and marks an important step on our journey to increasing the sustainability and biodiversity of our site.”

Tom Stuart-Smith Studio is an award-winning landscape design practice with an international reputation for making gardens which combine naturalism and modernity. Its work in the arts and culture sector includes creating gardens for Hepworth Wakefield in Yorkshire and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, as well as working on public spaces at Windsor Castle, the Aga Khan Centre and the masterplan for RHS Bridgewater in Salford. The team won the tender to create the Clore Garden at Tate Britain following an open competition.

Tom Stuart-Smith said “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to transform this underused but important space. Since this area was last redesigned, the world has changed and we all feel that public spaces in the heart of our cities need to work harder. Mown lawns and clipped hedges are hard pressed to do this on their own. We hope to make Tate Britain a haven for wildlife, and bring beauty, complexity and joy into this garden in the heart of London.”

The project is funded by the Clore Duffield Foundation, who are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year. One of the UK art sector’s most generous philanthropic organisations, the Foundation has a long history of supporting Tate Britain, most notably in helping to realise the Clore Gallery in 1987, a major extension to house JMW Turner’s bequest to the nation. The new garden will enhance the connection between Tate Britain’s original Victorian building and the Clore Gallery, as well as improving circulation and accessibility across the site.

Dame Vivien Duffield, Chair of the Clore Duffield Foundation, said: “The Foundation’s long relationship with Tate Britain goes back several decades to the opening of the Clore Gallery in 1987, my first project as Chair, in memory of my father Sir Charles Clore. As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, it is wonderful to bring together two of our most longstanding grantees, Tate and the RHS, to create a new public garden for the people of London. The garden will transform the area in front of the gallery and I hope it will be the first step in creating a greener and more welcoming river front.”

The Royal Horticultural Society has been involved in helping to shape the project with advice and guidance from RHS horticultural experts. Clare Matterson, RHS Director General, was part of the final selection panel, and the RHS will continue to work closely with Tate Britain as the garden is designed and constructed.

Clare Matterson, Director General of the RHS, said: “Having been the force for gardening for over 200 years, the RHS knows the power of gardening for health, healing and happiness. An art form in its own right, through gardening we can be creative, colourful and playful, whilst at the same time creating restorative beautiful places to rejuvenate, energise and be inspired. For these reasons and more, it is wonderful to be partnering with Tate Britain and working with Tom Stuart-Smith to create this new community garden for generations to enjoy, and to forge a new relationship bringing the art and gardening worlds closer together today and for the future.”

Further details about the Clore Garden’s timeline and designs will be announced in due course.

###

About Tate Britain

Tate Britain is home to the world’s greatest collection of British art. The gallery’s free displays feature over 800 works by over 350 artists, telling an expansive and diverse story which spans from the 1500s to the present day. Tate Britain welcomes over a million visitors each year to its ever-changing programme of exhibitions, commissions and events. It celebrates key figures in art history and provides a vital platform for the best artists working in Britain today, including through the Turner Prize, Art Now, and the Tate Britain Commission. For more information, visit tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain

About the Clore Duffield Foundation

The Clore Duffield Foundation, established by Sir Charles Clore in 1964, will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2024. Now chaired by Sir Charles Clore’s daughter, Dame Vivien Duffield, the Foundation supports UK charities working in the arts, education, social welfare and health. For more information, visit cloreduffield.org.uk

About the Royal Horticultural Society

The Royal Horticultural Society, the world’s leading gardening charity, was founded in 1804 by Sir Joseph Banks and John Wedgwood. Its vision is a world where gardening is embraced as a way of life – a source of joy and fulfilment, building healthier lives, stronger communities, and thriving environments, from its five inspirational gardens and international shows, through scientific research, to education and community programmes such as Campaign for School Gardening and Britain in Bloom. The RHS produces key publications, holds a world-class collection of horticultural books and botanical art, and sells the very best plants and gardening gifts. For more information, visit rhs.org.uk

About Tom Stuart-Smith Studio

Tom Stuart-Smith Studio is a landscape design practice established in 1998. Its work has ranged from large gardens and parks open to the public, to smaller private gardens in the UK and overseas. It has also designed a number of gardens for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, eight of which were awarded gold medals, and three won ‘Best in Show’. For more information, visit tomstuartsmith.co.uk

About Feilden Fowles

Feilden Fowles is a London-based architecture studio founded in 2009. It has delivered a range of buildings across the UK and has received numerous RIBA, Civic Trust and RICS awards, including being shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize for The Weston, a newly built gallery, shop and café for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It is currently delivering the Urban Nature Project, garden transformation at Natural History Museum. For more information, visit feildenfowles.co.uk