South Shields Surf School Roof Top Planter Project

Roof Top Planters at South Shields Surf School was one of my favourite projects.

Before planting could begin, I treated and repaired the roof with protective paint after carefully removing rust.

The planters themselves were built by my dad, tailored to fit the space and built to withstand the best (and worst) of Northern England’s weather.

Getting the planters in place was a team effort - lifted to the roof and securely installed thanks to Steve Turnbull’s welding expertise. We even devised, with some dodgy DIY, a pulley system to hoist the soil up (not so dodgy after all ! 4 years later and still being used to dry wetsuits )

We added drainage holes to the planters and lined them with a thick tarpaulin. Gravel was added and finally topped up with compost and top soil. We chose native, coastal perennial wildflowers such as sea campion, birds foot trefoil, yarrow, ox - eye daisy and sea thrift.

We’ve loved seeing how the planting evolves year after year. This season, everything is blooming, with new species self-seeding and surprising us each summer.
If you're passing the surf school, take a look - it’s a great example of how green spaces can thrive even in the most unexpected places.