Prospects bright for success at the Chelsea Flower Show

A giant bronze statue of a rearing stallion is among the eye-catching exhibits making its way from Oxfordshire to London for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

Hook Norton wildlife sculptor Hamish Mackie will be among 13 Oxfordshire exhibitors at the prestigious event, held from Tuesday until Saturday, May 23.

His anatomically correct life-and-a-quarter sized Andalusian stallion rears up to a towering height of 3.8 metres, making it his largest ever sculpture.

It will be revealed for the first time at the show within a specially designed garden by Nicholsons Nurseries inspired by the sunny, rocky terrain of southern Spain.

Mr Mackie, 41, said: “The first challenge with the Andalusian stallion was to get a horse to climb a steep bank and document him dramatically stopping at the top.

“I have chosen to cast the Andalusian for the Chelsea Flower Show as it portrays the brute strength and grace of such a majestic animal. I also feel it’s the pinnacle of my sculpting to date.

“At 3.8 metres high it’s a monumental bronze sculpture with great impact – hopefully a showstopper at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

“It would be fantastic to sell the sculpture but it’s just as important to show what I’m capable of to potential patrons globally.”

Mr Mackie’s full collection of six horse statues, commissioned by Berkeley Homes, will be unveiled at its Goodman’s Fields housing development in London on June 25.

With 150,000 visitors each year, the flower show, held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, is a bustling place.

But Oxford garden designer Sarah Naybour is planning to create a haven of tranquillity in the heart of the main thoroughfare with a peaceful woodland glade.

For the third year running, her stand will showcase bespoke sculptures, sundials and water features by flower show veteran David Harber, who has a workshop near Blewbury.

Her stands scooped top five-star awards at the 2013 and 2014 shows.

This year she will unveil another ambitious design featuring 11 varieties of Betula tree underplanted with shrubs, ferns and flowers including Hosta, Digitalis, Dutch Iris and Camassia.

The garden will be hedged with small gaps to create framed glimpses of the sculptures and entice visitors in to explore.

The garden centrepiece is Mr Harber’s glittering ‘Filium Orb’ sculpture featuring lattice work in distressed and textured metal.

Mrs Naybour, 50, of Yarnells Hill, said: “The stand is on Main Avenue, the busiest thoroughfare in what is the garden world’s premiere showcase.

“There is a lot to live up to. It is hugely competitive to get a space, and you know you have to aim for perfection.

Mythical world: David Good

“This year, David wanted something completely different. We have chosen a gently curved glen as the theme, using natural woodland trees.”

Mr Harber, 56, said: “Working with one of my abiding sources of inspiration, the woodland setting for this year’s Chelsea garden plays with the relationship between light and shade.

“The gentle dappled mood of the garden is reflected in the organic fluid strands of the Filium. “ Visitors to Oxford sculptor David Goode’s stand will enter a lost world inhabited by mythical creatures cast in bronze using a method developed by the ancient Egyptians.

The 50 sculptures going on show range in size from a few inches to six feet and will be on sale for between £500 and £16,000 each.

Mr Goode, 48, of Meadow Lane, said: “We are having a covered stand this year and it will be more like a gallery than a garden. The flower show is such a splendid showcase. It attracts a huge number of people and for me it’s the main event of the year and the one time I get out of the studio.”

Chalgrove blacksmith Michael Jacques, 47, has been exhibiting at the event for 14 years and this time will be taking along a collection of contemporary steel furniture.

He said: “This year we are showing the quality of our workmanship with some examples of our new furniture range.

“They are pieces of art but they are also functional items of furniture for the garden and home.”

Mr Jacques’ work sells for between £1,000 and £100,000 a piece, but he welcomes visitors of all budgets to his stand.

He added: “I like the variety of people at the garden show. A lot of them can’t afford what you are selling but they still love to come and look.”

Great Haseley couple Piers Newth and Louise Allen will be displaying a collection from their antique garden tool firm Garden and Wood, including antique gardening posters.

Showstopper: Hamish Mackie making his giant statue of a rearing stallion
 

Ms Allen said: “Alongside these vintage pieces of ephemera we have on our stand a collection of long handled tools and spades and forks along with many smaller items.”

Luxury garden building companies Crown Pavilions and Julian Christian will be recreating some of their most popular designs to the garden show.

A lavish outdoor cinema room with a bar will be among the designs on show by Crown Pavilions, based in Watlington.

Head of marketing Stuart Gauld said: “If you ask any member of our team which is their favourite show, Chelsea will always come first. The atmosphere is like no other show, it’s just an amazing place.”

Chalgrove-based Julian Christian is taking three of its designs to the show, including a quirky thatched gazebo shaped like a pumpkin.

Managing director Mike Tompkins said: “We have been exhibiting at Chelsea Flower Show for many years now, winning a four-star trade stand award in 2014, and see this show as the ideal event to showcase our range.”