Toast Magazine writer, Mina Holland and photographer, Elena Heatherwick meet Sue Stuart-Smith and her son Ben Stuart-Smith, architect and co-custodian of The Serge Hill Project, as they muse on their morning rituals amongst nature.
Psychotherapist, Sue Stuart-Smith is the author of the acclaimed book, The Well-Gardened Mind which investigates how gardening and working with nature can radically transform health, wellbeing and confidence. Sue lives at Serge Hill in Hertfordshire, with her husband, the celebrated landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith. She studied English literature at the University of Cambridge before qualifying as a doctor and working in the National Health Service for many years, becoming the lead clinician for psychotherapy in Hertfordshire.
The article and beautiful photography features Serge Hill, the home of the Stuart-Smith’s for over 30 years and is the base for Tom’s design studio as well as the Serge Hill Project for Gardening, Creativity, and Health. The project, a Community Interest Company was set up in 2021 and uniquely draws on their combined expertise.
The aim of the Serge Hill project is to foster community inclusion through gardening and other forms of creativity – by means of events, talks and sessions hosted in the Apple House building, designed by Ben Stuart-Smith which overlooks the project’s unique Plant Library. The Plant Library is an extensive educational resource for anyone interested in plants and planting design.