The Dame Rosemary Murray memorial garden was opened at Murray Edwards College during the Cambridge University Alumni Weekend on Saturday 27 September 2008. This was particularly significant as the College, formerly know as New Hall, had just changed its name in June to Murray Edwards College to honour Dame Rosemary Murray, the College’s founder President, along with Ros and Steve Edwards, donors of a £30 million gift to endow the college.
The site has been designated since 2005 for a garden to commemorate Dame Rosemary, a chemist, who was herself a great lover of flowers and a dedicated gardener. Her devotion inspired the College’s successful bid for a show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2007, the first and so far, only Chelsea exhibit by a Cambridge College. Entitled ‘Transit of Venus,’ this Chelsea garden was designed by Sue Goss, four times Chelsea medal winner, who is a graduate of the College. Anne Cooper, of AC Architects Cambridge Ltd, and also an alumna of the College, oversaw the construction and assembly of the Chelsea exhibit.
Elements of this design, which won a Chelsea bronze medal in the flora range, were brought back to Murray Edwards College afterwards to be integrated into a permanent garden by AC Architects Cambridge Ltd and the College gardeners. The curved white wall from Chelsea, like the orbit of a planet, and bearing the College’s hallmark signature of curves and domes, touches down as a garden seat. Chelsea’s shimmering globe hovers over the delicate plants, a planet in transit, poised on a scientist’s tripod and marking the quiet centre of the system of curves. The spiral path whirls around plants and wall to reach the seat at the eye of the storm. The path curves though a rainbow of plants designed to be in flower for September reunions of New Hall Alumnae, but plants in the garden will be in continuous evolution through the seasons.
On the 27th of September 2008, Mrs Joy Richardson, Chairman of the New Hall Society Committee, officially opened the garden in memory of Dame Rosemary. As the garden evolves, it is hoped eventually to integrate the carving of lines of a John Donne poem into stone at its centre.”