Create a Brilliant ‘Beaumont Banner’ for World Topiary Day

Cumbrian house and gardens, Levens Hall and Gardens, is searching for budding artists who can create a fabulous ‘Beaumont Banner’ – its version of the famous Google Doodle.

As the founder of World Topiary Day, which is again engaging gardens and garden enthusiasts around the globe this year on May 12, Levens Hall and Gardens would love to one day see the tech giant create an official Google Doodle to celebrate the annual occasion.

To help inspire this, it is looking for artists to create their own version, featuring an imaginative celebration of topiary in whichever style they wish to adopt – realism, cubism, abstract, or something else. Entrants can be of any age and just need to make their design horizontal and narrow, as with a typical Google Doodle.

This has been christened a ‘Beaumont Banner’, in honour of Monsieur Guillaume Beaumont, the founder of the world’s oldest topiary garden at the historic Cumbrian property, in 1694.

As it celebrates the 330th birthday of the Topiary Garden and its fourth World Topiary Day, Levens Hall and Gardens is hoping to inspire some great designs.  It is offering a prize of a Levens Hall and Gardens family garden season ticket for the winning design and will feature it on its website and social media pages.

Should Google run another Google Doodle Art competition again next year, the artists would also have a design ready-made to submit for that.

Levens Hall is also encouraging as many people as possible to get in touch with Google and suggest a World Topiary Day banner, so that Google Doodle decision-makers can see how much the day means to topiary lovers worldwide.  The suggestion of a World Topiary Day Google Doodle can be made by emailing doodleproposals@google.com

Levens Hall and Gardens’ owner, Richard Bagot, says, “We have seen World Topiary Day create a new type of themed visitor experience – topiary tourism – in gardens across the world who participate in World Topiary Day and now would love to see an official Google Doodle for World Topiary Day in 2025, when it will celebrate its fifth anniversary.

“Our Beaumont Banner competition is intended to both inspire creativity and engagement with our awareness day but also give Google a gentle nudge and help them see that this is an occasion that really matters to anyone who appreciates the beauty of topiary art, the work of great masters such as Le Nôtre and that of modern-day topiary artists.  

“With all the health benefits that biophilia brings to our lives, what could be better than to celebrate the green joy that is a topiary garden and an event that brings world topiary gardens and enthusiasts together, in one global celebration?”

Entries should be submitted by May 31, 2024 and can be emailed to houseopening@levenshall.co.uk   

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Editors notes

Levens Hall & Gardens is a historic house in the South Lakes, Cumbria, close to Kendal and home to the world's oldest topiary gardens, dating from 1694, created by French garden designer, Guillaume Beaumont. The Hall is a stunning Elizabethan house built around a 13th century pele tower and has close links to the Duke of Wellington, as well as various items which once belonged to him and Napoleon Bonaparte. Levens Park is home to the rare Bagot goats gifted to the Bagot family and a place in which to stroll and enjoy nature. Levens Kitchen is the contemporary new cafe, full of delights for cake lovers and foodies alike.