Throughout February 2026 we are reviving the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens.
Funded by filming a six-part documentary series spearheaded by Chris Beardshaw and Nick Knowles, Heritage Revival aims to rebuild, rejuvenate and restore the Botanical Gardens, not just to their former glory but to ensure the modernisation and future-proofing for generations to come.
"A place where these intertwined narratives are celebrated, made accessible, and brought to life to serve as a reminder of the need to protect, conserve and educate."
First of all, in terms of the island of Mauritius and its rich history, we just wanted to offer some initial reaction and thoughts. It is evident, that Mauritius plays a unique role in the physical and cultural expansion of people across centuries. Its geographical position made it both a practical staging post and a natural cultural crossroads—a place where ideas, traditions, and communities have blended and reshaped one another.
The exceptional geographical location, combined with an extraordinary blend of climate and fertility, created what is effectively the perfect ‘hothouse’ for horticultural diversity, cultivation and species exploration. Consequently, plants represented on the island span those revered in the Old World and New World in addition to blending eastern traditions with western ambitions. As such it is perhaps not an overstatement to say that it represents an unrivalled horticultural spectrum.
Architecturally and socially, too, the island carries this legacy of global interaction. Its built environment and community fabric reflect layers of influence from around the world – stylistically influencing emergent western ambitions. Woven into all of this is the celebrated distinctiveness of the island’s flora and fauna, making it a true microcosm of the interaction, interdependence and ingenuity when people and plants interact.
Against this backdrop, the botanic gardens have the potential to serve as a powerful contemporary beacon—one that not only reflects the island’s unique history and ecological identity, but also speaks to the present. The living collections could be presented as both a celebration of history and reminder of their profound relevance today, connecting global stories of plants, people, cultures, religions, and communities. The potential is to present the island and more specifically the garden, as a global counterpart to projects like the Eden Project: a place where these intertwined narratives are celebrated, made accessible, and brought to life to serve as a reminder of the need to protect, conserve and educate.
Frances Toase
Chris Beardshaw Design
15 RHS Gold Medals
40 Awards for Design, Planting and Restoration
A Word from Chris...
Maximising Engagement, Restoring Historical Context
Botanic gardens initially emerged and as a collection, a trophy of ‘finds’, a celebration of the endeavours of exploration; as such they are arguably environments created as a result of personal ambition and in many cases ego! A collector’s chest rather than a complex and thriving community of relevant players.
By contrast the contemporary approach has swung towards conservation, scientific research, education, display aesthetics, and relevant visitor experience.
The challenge is to maximise engagement with the natural world while not erasing historic context. Plants are so often intertwined in community and social fabric – informing national traits, characteristics and identity. They may help to to better understand our ancestors, folklore and propagate emotional connections via storytelling and narrative; linking Botanics to community.
Such an ambition is driving the Heritage Revival of Pamplemousses Gardens, for the gratification of regular visitors and a new global audience.
Water plays a pivotal role to all life and human habitation of the island. The gardens architect and creator, Pierre Poivre’s, capitalisation on the diverse national water reliant habitats within his vision shape an integral part of the narrative. Which will enhance the visitor experience together with an interaction opportunity via these assets to explore both natural cycles and access the depths of the water to celebrate the complexity of hidden ‘players’ and habitats. Highlighting the principle of plants as the heart of the landscape and engineering solutions to inspire sustainable designs for future generations.
Chris Beardshaw
Discover more about our plans and your involvement.
4
The number of weeks of the project. Real, visible change over an intensive period!
Re-establishing the Uniqueness
We will assess, develop and re-invigorate the botanical assets, expanding the species, conservation and biodiversity.
Fixing the Supply
As per the original design, we will fix the waterways throughout the Gardens that provides a self-watering system for all flora.
Refreshments
We will renovate some of the old buildings into a place where visitors can stop on their tours for food and drink.
Feature Film
Heritage Revival of Pamplemousses Gardens will be a six-part documentary filmed throughout the entire project.