A friend of Christ Church Cathedral, Mr. Charles Hillman has made a generous gift in memory of his wife the late Winnifred Mather Hillman and her association with the Vancouver Garden Club.
Mr. Hillman a retired school teacher now in his 90’s told the Cathedral staff organizing the gift that his wife Winnifred who was the Fashion Editor of the Province Newspaper, 1955-1960 had fallen in love with the urban church gardens in Manhattan during her years there while active in the fashion industry.
Through this gift, the Cathedral Gardens on Georgia Street and in the east lane-way have been improved. The west side of the Cathedral grounds is currently being re-landscaped with new plantings, spaces, benches and chairs that will compliment the existing plaza and kiosks.
The Cathedral staff originally hoped that the new gardens would be planted by the end of August but now it is looking like mid-September. A proposed dedication date of Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday, October 10th, 2011is being considered.
Designed by the Cathedral’s award winning landscape architect, Jane Durante, the new Hillman Garden will feature spaces suitable for quiet contemplation in the heart of the city. New flowering
trees and shrubs will beautify this space, and the north west plaza wall will be covered in time, with ivy.
Mr. Hillman a retired school teacher now in his 90’s told the Cathedral staff organizing the gift that his wife Winnifred who was the Fashion Editor of the Province Newspaper, 1955-1960 had fallen in love with the urban church gardens in Manhattan during her years there while active in the fashion industry.
Through this gift, the Cathedral Gardens on Georgia Street and in the east lane-way have been improved. The west side of the Cathedral grounds is currently being re-landscaped with new plantings, spaces, benches and chairs that will compliment the existing plaza and kiosks.
The Cathedral staff originally hoped that the new gardens would be planted by the end of August but now it is looking like mid-September. A proposed dedication date of Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday, October 10th, 2011is being considered.
Designed by the Cathedral’s award winning landscape architect, Jane Durante, the new Hillman Garden will feature spaces suitable for quiet contemplation in the heart of the city. New flowering
trees and shrubs will beautify this space, and the north west plaza wall will be covered in time, with ivy.
Images: Above on left, one of the signs on the guard fence facing west out onto the Burrard Street sidewalk. Below: a north to south view of where the new west side garden will be planted.