A British Garden Grows

The first plantings at the British Memorial Garden at Hanover Square, honoring the 67 British citizens who died on September 11, will take place in the spring, with an opening set for later in the year. "This will be a significant addition to the greening of Lower Manhattan," the city's Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, Adrian Benepe, said at the British Memorial Garden Trust's annual gala Thursday, singling out the efforts of the trust's president, Camilla Hellman. The chairman of British Airways, Martin Broughton, and the chief executive of Lehman Brothers, Richard S. Fuld Jr., were honored. See the column as it appears in the newspaper here. View the complete photo album here. Event notes: * Mr. Benepe had the honour of presenting a toast to Queen Elizabeth II * In one of his first public appearances, the new British Consul General in New York, Sir Alan Collins, gave the toast to President Bush and talked of the "warmest, most enduring and special relationship" between the UK and America. * The chairman of British Airways, Martin Broughton, used his acceptance speech to talk about New York and London as twinned cities, the leaders in the financial world. And his airline facilitates the relationship, with 12 flights a day into New York, more than any other airline, he claimed. Once Terminal 5 in London opens, there will be even more flights, he said. * "No memorial can ever do justice, but this garden assures that we will remember," the chairman and chief executive of Lehman Brothers, Richard S. Fuld Jr., said in his acceptance speech as an honoree. * Speaking of Lehmans..... there was a descendant of the family at the party: John Loeb, who earlier in the day had received his first copy of a new book about the family, "Lots of Lehmans," edited by Kenneth Libo. Mr. Loeb is looking forward to a party for the book on February 28 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (read more about it in this Sun article by Gary Shapiro). * The table decor at Cipriani 42nd Street aimed to give people the feeling that they were in an English garden at twilight. It worked well (see below).