Horticulture and Gardens
The Old English Garden
This tranquil garden is the most horticulturally diverse area of Victoria Park. It boasts 8 inner herbaceous borders, 6 large external borders, formal lawns, clipped hedges and a sizeable collection of roses. . It is also where you will be most likely to find the Victoria Park Landscape Team, as this garden is host to many community horticultural activities. Local volunteering and the weekly visits from schools also happen here who love to help maintain this beautiful site.
Location: This hidden gem is found on the East side of the park, located between the tennis courts and the playground
The Orchard Meadows
The Orchard Meadows is extremely rich in biodiversity and natural habitat. Planted amongst the wildflowers and grasses you will find a collection of fruit trees – from apples and pears to cherries and mulberries. And on a summer’s day you will find the meadow a buzz with the sound of insects and the tweeting of birds.
Location: Neighbouring the Old English Garden
Burdett-Coutts Fountain
The most iconic building in Victoria Park and certainly the largest, the Burdett-Coutts Fountain is a magnificent piece of Grade II listed architecture with an important history. The fountain is no longer used for drinking water and is now home to 4 large mirror pools. These provide fantastic reflections of the structure and surrounding planting. Burdett-Coutts Fountain Gardens are one of our two remaining formal bedding locations within the park. The area has 16 flower beds, half of which are used for seasonal bedding displays, with the other half converted to permanent perennial displays in 2020.
The Sunken Garden
Our second and largest formal bedding area within Victoria Park, also with its own interesting history. Once used as a scented garden for soldier’s returning from the war with impaired vision – the gardens still use the original Victorian layout for the flower beds. The Sunken Garden is made up of 15 flower beds that expand outwards in a semi-circle, providing an interesting tiered effect. Next to this is the Star and Circle bedding area which sports an unusual star shaped flower bed, another original Victorian creation.
The Outdoor Classroom
This site is home to 8 raised beds which are used to grow a variety of vegetables, herbs and plants for making clothes dyes or thread. Primarily an educational space for all ages, the Outdoor Classroom hosts workshops and talks in conjunction with our partners Cordwainer’s Grow. This site is also home to several bee hives which are looked after by Helena Herholdt.