Introduction
The Prince Consort Gardens is a municipal park created in the 1860s.
Terrain
Coastal
Location, Area, Boundaries, Landform and Setting
Prince Consort Gardens consists of a roughly triangular garden on the sea front overlooking Birnbeck Island and pier. The Garden divides into two areas, one being the upper level plateau abutting Upper Kewstoke Road and on the western side is the cliff face, which abuts Birkett Road. The garden is laid to lawn with tarmac paths.
A flower bed surrounds it and in the centre is a circular pond with a fountain. To the south of this area is a rockery and hedge behind which is a larger pond. In 2018 the Friends of Prince Consort Gardens raised over £12,000 to convert the underused boating pond to a wildlife pond. The design took reference from the original Victorian pond (before it received its concrete make-over after the 1960s), and features Mendip stone edging; an island; marginal beds with native plants, and a fountain. A series of small sculpted heads, created by artist Lynda Hayles, are hidden within the rocks around the benches for children to find.
Prince Consort Gardens are well-maintained by the volunteer Friends of Prince Consort Gardens group.
- Visitor Access, Directions & Contacts
Access contact details
This is a municipal park for general public use.
Owners
North Somerset Council
Town Hall, Walliscote Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1UJOther Websites
- History
The area was originally a fairly bare windswept hillside known as 'Flagstaff Hill'. In the 1860s the area was upgraded. The gardens were planted and named in memory of Prince Albert. The Birnbeck Pier was opened in 1867. A picture of Prince Consort Promenade in 1864 shows the pond, fountain and flower beds when they were fairly new.
The lower triangle (now a car park) contained the Flagstaff, a fountain and tennis lawn. The evergreen trees and shrubs provided a screen from the strong westerly sea winds (see the Ordnance Survey map of the area, 1886).
Prince Consort Gardens were handed over for the free use of the public in 1883 by Mr. Cecil Hugh Smyth-Pigott.
Period
Victorian (1837-1901)
- Features & Designations
Designations
Conservation Area
- Reference: Birkbeck
Features
- Lawn
- Description: The upper plateau is mainly laid to lawn having a border with Upper Kewstoke Road containing large phormiums.
- Rockery
- Description: There is a natural cliff face which borders Birkett Road containing a lower esplanade which was laid in 1882 and includes a Victorian shelter.
- Pond
- Description: In 2018 the Friends of Prince Consort Gardens raised over £12,000 to convert the underused boating pond to a wildlife pond. The design took reference from the original Victorian pond (before it received its concrete make-over after the 1960s), and features Mendip stone edging; an island; marginal beds with native plants, and a fountain. A series of small sculpted heads, created by artist Lynda Hayles, are hidden within the rocks around the benches for children to find.
- Fishpond
- Description: In the centre of the upper plateau is a circular pond containing goldfish and with a water feature.
- Key Information
Type
Park
Purpose
Recreational/sport
Principal Building
Recreational
Period
Victorian (1837-1901)
Survival
Extant
Hectares
0.8
Open to the public
Yes
Civil Parish
Weston-super-Mare
- References
References
- Urban District Council of Weston-Super-Mare {Application for a Charter of Incorporation} (Weston-Super-Mare, 1935) Application for a Charter of Incorporation
- Ordnance Survey {Map of Weston-Super-Mare} (1886) Ordnance Survey map of Weston-Super-Mare
Contributors
Avon Gardens Trust
E.J. Spiller
Friends of Prince Consort Gardens
Brian Wilkinson