Scoping out the site of the new water complex. Photo courtesy of Badminton's Facebook page.
Italian course designer Giuseppe della Chiesa has begun making his mark on the 2014 Badminton cross-country course in his first year on the job, and he’s most notably introducing a new water complex to the world-famous venue. Giuseppe, who is contracted to design the Badminton course for three years, discovered a large pond near Luckington Lake in September when he spent two days exploring the grounds. The site has since been surveyed and deemed appropriate to overhaul as a new water complex.
Other work is also underway on the grounds, and Badminton is reporting that new landscaping has already been added to many of the most recognizable fence locations. Giuseppe’s 2014 course signifies big changes for Badminton, as event director Hugh Thomas had designed the course since 1989. While Giuseppe is already introducing new elements, he made it clear in a statement to Horse & Hound earlier this year that his goal as course designer remains “evolution, not revolution.”
From Badminton’s website:
Work is well under way on the innovations that Giuseppe della Chiesa is bringing to the Badminton cross-country course. The most spectacular change will be the incorporation of a new water complex, using a large pond at the top of the small hill next to the Luckington Lane — not far from the well-known jump site, the Vicarage Vee. The pond was discovered when Giuseppe spent two days at Badminton in September, taking a fresh look at the whole area used for the cross country.
It was then surveyed by Alan Willis and his team as Giuseppe watched to see just how deep it is. Vegetation has now been cleared and work started to make a firm underwater surface and to install pipework to enable the level of water to be controlled. This pond is naturally fed by springs and has never dried out in the memory of the Duke of Beaufort or anyone else on the estate.
The 2014 course as a whole is now essentially planned. Grounds work has been completed to introduce landscaping features at several of the well-known fence locations, as the course will visit all the traditional spots in Badminton Park, such as The Quarry, Huntsmans Close, The Lake, the Bank and the Vicarage Ditch. As usual, the direction will be reversed from 2013 and run in a clockwise direction with The Quarry close to the end of the track.
