Wolverhampton secret garden is a haven of tranquillity
It is surrounded by a recessive, white wall, to give the impression of disappearing into infinity.
The central gravel area represents the "sea of nothingness", into which the "stream of life" flows.
Entering the Japanese Garden at Wolverhampton's Danescourt Cemetery is akin to stepping inside Mr Benn's magic wardrobe at the fancy dress shop.
For the traffic that thunders along the busy A41 Wergs Road between Wolverhampton and Shropshire, it is easy to miss the small redbrick building at the entrance to the graveyard.
But as one steps through the double doors at the front into a rather nondescript foyer, and then again through a French window at the rear, one is transported into a tranquil, Zen-like world which seems thousands of miles from suburban Wolverhampton.
The garden was created in 1996 by local man, Peter Bridges, to create an area of quiet contemplation.
It is now maintained by the Japanese Garden Society, which discovered the grounds in 2009 and entered into an agreement with the council to look after it.
The original conception of a Japanese garden was to create an idyllic environment that would 'tempt the deities down from heaven' to dwell in proximity to human beings.
Similar gardens have been created around the world, including one at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, although Clive Mullen, lead operative gardener at Danescourt, reckons experts consider the Wolverhampton one to be both bigger and better.
Clive, who is 44, started work at Danescourt about the same time the garden was created, and says it is popular with visitors who want somewhere to reflect on life.
"It was designed to be quiet and peaceful," he says.
"Sometimes people who have been bereaved just want somewhere quiet to reflect, away from the hustle and bustle."
He proudly points to the Royal Horticultural Society awards that the garden has won.
"A lot of people like to use it in the summer, it's a little place for quiet reflection."
Clive adds that keeping the garden in its pristine condition requires a lot of effort, and says that the Japanese Garden Society is looking for new members who will be taught how to tend to such places.
"The Japanese Garden Society has workshops throughout the spring and summer and into the autumn," he says.
The garden is divided into two distinct areas.
The left-hand side is based around the traditional Zen "dry" garden, dominated by rocks and gravel.
The large stone in the centre is the Shumisen, representing the pivotal mountain of the Buddhist Cosmos, and the central gravel area represents the "sea of nothingness" into which the "stream of life" flows. The cobbled areas are beaches and the pebble peninsular represents Amanohashidate, one of Japan's three most famous natural sights.
On the right hand side there is a stark contrast and it is intended to be viewed from the building so that its wall relates directly to the entrance building in terms of colour – its warmth enhancing the desired character of the entire garden.
The theme relates directly to the tea garden – its lanterns lighting the way, and the stepping stones showing the way to the tea house.
In the middle of the right hand garden there is a stone waterfall which drops into the 'river of life' running into the garden from right to left as a pond in front of the upper patio area.
Adam Clelland, from Wolverhampton Council, says the garden was created as part of an extension to the cemetery, to create an isolated area of quiet contemplation.
"It’s part of a grassroots community gardening campaign, which aims to highlight the work people are doing to make lasting improvements to their local area," he says.
“The Royal Horticultural Society said the Japanese Garden at Danescourt Cemetery is thriving thanks to the support of members of the community who tend to it on a regular basis.
"It’s been hailed by members of the Japanese Garden Society as one of the most outstanding examples of its kind in the UK."
