Veronica House Memorial Garden

The wild garden at the rear of Veronica House, off Wickham Road, is an unexpected hidden delight, unseen from all but those visiting the block. 

To raise its profile a little, and to honour the work and spirit of its first gardener, a small event was held earlier this year. 

Pinnacle’s Housing Management and Estate Services teams conceived of the idea and liaised with current residents to design, commission and erect a commemorative plaque to Mr John Sanger, known to all as Johnnie, who converted the derelict ground left over from Veronica House’s construction in 1958 into an allotment and maintained it for thirty years. 

The team organised a small naming ceremony and provided refreshments on the day for all those residents and guests attending, supplied and officially handed over additional gardening tools (including a tool storage shed) and a walk-in greenhouse. When it was planting season, the team also sourced and delivered a wide range of pots, plants and seeds. 

During the event, residents took the opportunity to remember Johnnie and celebrate his example of good neighbourliness. Mark Beesley, a current resident, talked about Johnnie’s work, the history of the garden and how it has changed over the decades, described the range of flora and fauna found in the garden these days and suggested a number of simple ways willing residents could help maintain and contribute to it, according to their own time and means. 

Our sincere thanks to Mark and the residents of Veronica House for hosting the event, and to the Estate Services Team for overseeing the unveiling and for their continued support of this lovely project.