Top marks for Downs School

4:03pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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A BLAST from the past won one of the top awards at Malvern Spring Gardening Show for the Downs School at Colwall.

The prep school on the edge of the village was awarded a gold medal in the show gardens section for an exhibit based on the historic model railway that runs through its grounds.

Designed and built by the school's new groundsman Mark Eveleigh, the garden incorporated a 20 yard length of track and a full working locomotive, complete with steam whistle.

"It's been a lot of hard work," said Mark, "But it's been worth it.

"The garden took three weeks to build on site at the Three Counties Showground, working seven-days-a-week and almost 24-hours-a-day.

"The idea came to me after I helped build a courtyard garden at Chelsea Flower Show last year.

"When I heard the Downs' old gym, which was built in 1911, was coming down, I decided to reclaim some of the materials and use them in a garden to celebrate the traditions of the school."

Now the preparatory school for Malvern College, the Downs has a long history of operating a light railway through its grounds as an engineering hobby for the pupils.

It was introduced by the school's second headmaster Geoffrey Hoyland in 1925 and is still run every weekend along its half mile track.

In honour of Mr Hoyland, the show garden was called Hoyland Down and as well as the rail track, featured a weather beaten waiting room, tiles made by pupils in the school pottery shed, old timbers from the school and the school's old delivery bike.

Also in the Gardening Show's show gardens, there was a silver-gilt flora medal for West Mercia Constabulary with a garden built by Adcote School in Shrewsbury to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the formation of the force.

The exhibit featured gardens from two police officers' houses, one from 2007 and one from 1967, which included a Heartbeat-style Morris Minor patrol car.

• Read the rest of our show coverage here, and click here for our picture gallery.