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Prince Consort Gardens

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 1UJ
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

  • Post Medieval (1540 to 1901)
  • 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

Post Medieval (1540 to 1901)

Survival

Extant

Hectares

0.8

Open to the public

Yes

Civil Parish

Weston-super-Mare

References

References

Contributors

  • Avon Gardens Trust

  • E.J. Spiller

  • Friends of Prince Consort Gardens

  • Brian Wilkinson