Bring power to the garden

Oliva, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7444-5203, Turner, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5089-4768, McSorley, E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2054-879X, McCloy, R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2333-9640, Bartram, E. and Greentree, A. (2026) Bring power to the garden. [Show/Exhibition]

Abstract/Summary

Bring Power to the Garden is a three-part installation that invites you to step into history, walk through innovation, and imagine our shared sustainable future. This project brings together storytelling, exploration, and hands-on discovery to highlight how energy, community, and the natural world are deeply connected. In Part One, you’ll enter an immersive experience and meet Mildred Cookson , a millwright with over 40 years of expertise at Mapledurham. Through her words, you’ll uncover the human story behind the craft, and why her work matters not just to heritage, but to our lives today. In Part Two, we invite you outdoors for a guided trail around our award-winning campus. Here, you’ll see sustainability in action — from green technologies to ecological design — and learn how our university community is working together to create positive change. In Part Three, we gather at the Harris Garden, where you can explore the mechanics of an old windmill and the sleek power of a modern turbine. This side-by-side encounter reveals how the past and present speak to each other, and how traditional knowledge can inform the future of renewable energy. By combining three very different experiences — storytelling, exploration, and direct observation — Bring Power to the Garden shows that sustainability is not just a technical challenge, but a shared journey. It is a celebration of community, a call to stewardship, and a reminder that innovation thrives when we connect the wisdom of the past with the needs of the present. The project is a collaboration between the University of Reading and the Mills Archive Trust , generously funded by the University’s Centenary Fund and the Environmental Humanities Group.