Charles Jenks was an architect, architectural historian, landscape architect and co-founder of renowned Maggie’s Centres. His writing and work emphasises the importance of gardens and landscape to all our lives. His work stretches designers to think deeply about their art; what it means; what it can achieve and what it can mean to the people who experience it.

Increasingly, research is confirming that access to landscape and good design not only has measurable positive effects on our physical, mental and social well-being, but it also improves physical and psychological healing.His work in combining the skills of health professionals, architects, artists and garden designers to create the Maggie Centres is a lesson to us all in what can be achieved through creative collaboration. 

In 2012, the SGD named Charles Jencks as the recipient of the first John Brookes Award, (later to be called the SGD Lifetime Achievement Award), for his outstanding contribution to the landscape and garden design profession. The Society made a short film with Charles Jencks to commemorate the Award. It can be viewed below or on the SGD YouTube Channel.

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