Town gets a taste of the tropics

Ninth wonder? Saltash gets its own Hanging Gardens

A piece of derelict land beneath the Royal Albert Bridge which connects Devon and Cornwall has been made into a sub-tropical garden.

Volunteers and paid workers have transformed the land in Saltash by planting the site with exotic plants including bananas.

The Silver Street site was originally three cottages demolished in the 1950s.

"We call it the Hanging Gardens of Saltash," Joe Ellison of the Saltash Waterside Residents' Association said.

'Entirely different'

The work was done with the help of a grant from Awards for All of £9,800 with Saltash Town Council and the residents' association also contributing to the cost.

The south-facing site was cleared by 20 members of the association so that contractors Hine Brothers could get to work planting the wide variety of plants such as palms and agave.

"It's just something entirely different for Saltash and upgrades the waterfront for both residents and visitors," said Mr Ellison.

"We are transforming the waterside bit by bit and making it a coherent whole."

He added that the clearance work had revealed the walls of the old cottages which will also be transformed with a ceramics-based mural as part of ongoing work on the town's art trail.