Exploring Hospitalfield, Arbroath

Welcome to DES Talks. In this episode Susanna explores Hospitalfield, an extraordinary 19th century Scots Baronial cum Arts and Craft house with a glorious walled garden that is dedicated to contemporary art and ideas. Located on Scotland's east coast a skip away from the North Sea and the town of Arbroath, Hospitalfield was built by Patrick and Elizabeth Allan-Fraser as their home. Arbroath-born Patrick who studied art at Edinburgh of College of Art was determined that Hospitalfield become a home for artists, building light-filled studios in 1901. Over a 100 years later, Hospitalfield today welcomes art practitioners from around the world and offers workshops and welcomes the general public. The celebrated architects, Caruso St John, have built a cafe, a fernery and restored the studio spaces. And a few years back the visionary plantsman and garden designer, Nigel Dunnett, devised a beauteous planting scheme for the walled garden. Susanna speaks to Hospitafleld's director Lucy Byatt, architect Peter St John and artist, choreography and performer, Florence Peake. Florence recently staged Ode to the Dark, a collaboration with Scottish Dance Theatre at Hospitalfield. A processional performance that excavates the realms of loss, Florence talks about her work and the ongoing exhibition at Hospitalfield, Your Meaning Not Your Materiality. Lucy also talks about the work of Nigel Dunnett who died earlier this year and the prestigious International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens which has just been awarded to Hospitalfield. Hosptifalfield Florence PeakeCaruso St John ArchitectsNigel Dunnett The International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens Watch Florence's 2025 peformance of To Love and To Cherish at Jupiter Artland.Thanks so much for listening to our DES Talks conversation, we do hope you enjoyed it. Please do spread the word, share, subscribe and rate and rave - we really want to share these conversations far and wide! And don’t forget to explore our previous podcasts such as our visit to the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney, our conversation with Viv Lee and Jonathan Wade talking clay and the making of Earth Becoming for Earth Matters or Susanna's chat with celebrated film maker Mark Cousins about his film, A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things celebrating the artist, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. Huge thanks to musician Malin Lewis for Cycle Lane which accompanies DES Talks and Ryan Scott Media for production. Image - Florence Peake, Your Meaning Not Your Materiality, Hospitalfield. Image Neil Hanna.