Get involved with Garden Club
In 2021 Hospitalfield’s Walled Garden, designed by the horticulturalist Nigel Dunnett, opened to the public. The scheme was developed to reveal the unique horticultural history of the site at Hospitalfield, which has been tended as a garden for over 800 years.
The garden and grounds at Hospitalfield are maintained, made fruitful and more beautiful with the fantastic support of our volunteers who meet regularly at Garden Club. Garden Club support the development of the garden from helping weed the gardens, sowing seeds, potting up plants and assisting with seasonal projects. Our next garden project is the development of the medicinal garden.
The site at Hospitalfield has been populated since the 13th century when the monks who ran Arbroath Abbey established their hotel or hospital, here where we believe that they must have grown a medicinal garden and brewed potions as medicines to improve the health and wellbeing of those who they cared for.
From January 2023 we are inviting a medicinal plant specialist to design the garden with Garden Club volunteers, Hospitalfield’s grounds keeping team and soon to be appointed Community Gardener. The new medicinal garden will be planted in a large area within the walled garden at Hospitalfield. As part of our upcoming Garden Club sessions we’ll be planning, preparing, and planting this new medicinal garden.
Garden Club Volunteers meet regularly from 10am to 12pm on Fridays at Hospitalfield. We’re looking for volunteers to come along and get involved in the new medicinal garden at Hospitalfield.
For full information on how to get involved and accessibility notes please see our website https://hospitalfield.org.uk/support/volunteer/garden-club/ or contact us at volunteer@hospitalfield.org.uk
Minimum age: 18
Would you like to volunteer for Hospitalfield?
We are recruiting new volunteers to help with Mortuary Chapel – Angus Doors Open Days 2024
For more information and to register your interest please email kirsten@hospitalfield.org.uk or call 01241 656 124
Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 September
11am – 3.30pm each day.
Mortuary Chapel
Western Cemetery
Arbroath
DD11 4HA
• The Mortuary Chapel was designed by Patrick Allan-Fraser as a memorial to his late wife Elizabeth and her deceased parents John Fraser and Elizabeth Parrot Fraser. Work began in 1875 based on an outline plan by Allan-Fraser to which he added details as building progressed.
• Everyone who visits quickly realises that this is a remarkable building, possibly the most unusual and most instantly appealing of the many fine buildings within Arbroath. However, it is also very important on a national scale. It could claim to be one of the best buildings of its date in Scotland.
• The building is also notable for its eclectic mix of styles, including reference to Scottish, English and possibly other precedents from East European Gothic. Every part of the building is important because every part received great care in design.
• The Mortuary Chapel is located in the Western Cemetery. Tours will be available at 12 noon, 1pm and 2pm, led by Hospitalfield Volunteer Tour Guides. Booking is not required for this venue, however access will be by tour only.
• The chapel has one step on entering and the upper levels are up a number of stairs. Dogs are not allowed inside the mortuary chapel (unless an assistance/guide dog).