Town Centre Gardens
Open all year
A beautiful formal garden in the centre of Stevenage. 8 points of interest
Play area
Playground
A new enlarged area for play has been constructed to provide a range of equipment suitable for all age groups. The new play area includes earth sculpting to provide undulations and mounding and also provides mound slides, swings, climbing nets, hammocks, talk tubes, springies, timber tower unit and boulder forms.
Pond
Water Habitat
The pond underwent extensive works to improve the structure and the water quality of this key feature. The pond now benefits from:
- a fountain,
- an aeration system,
- a sleek bridge that provides easier access,
- marginal and aquatic planting
- rafts to provide safe locations for nesting birds,
- feature lighting to the fountain and bridge.
Sensory Garden
Plant Bed
The sensory garden area consists of a variety of colourful bedding bedding displays, perennial planting and raised planters. The three raised planters are designed around smell, sound and touch. A great place to just sit, relax and take in the fresh air.
All of the bedding displays here are maintained by the active Friends of the Town Centre Gardens volunteer group. More information about the Friends can be found by clicking here…
Park Information
Offering an oasis of tranquility in the centre of Stevenage, the Town Centre Gardens were developed in the mid-1960’s, and are the primary formal and ornamental public gardens in Stevenage.
The main features of the park include:Â
- Ornamental landscapes with plantings of roses, herbaceous perennials and seasonal bedding displays
- An ornamental spring fed pond, marginal and aquatic planting, fountain and bridge
- A collection of ornamental, commemorative and memorial trees
- A sensory garden
- A large open and close mown grassland area surrounded by trees
- A fenced and equipped play space for toddlers and young children
- A footpath network providing access across the site between the Town Centre and the Bedwell neighbourhood
- Remnants of ancient lane hedgerows
During 2010/11 a project to restore the Town Centre Gardens to reflect the original design concepts was undertaken. This project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund Parks for People Programme, will preserve and enhance the heritage of these important formal Gardens, which are an excellent example of landscape design in the era of New Town planning.
Research into the history of the Gardens, included a meeting with Gordon Patterson, the landscape architect who originally designed the Town Centre Gardens. The original design concept was to have mass planting of trees to the periphery of the site to provide a sense of peace and seclusion, but to leave open, light areas within the Gardens for people to enjoy. This is what the Parks for People project sought to achieve again in 2010/11.
On Site Facilities
- Disabled Access
- Disabled Toilets
- Dogs Welcome
- Toilets
How to get here
Parking:Close to Stevenage Town Centre and a number of pay and display car parks.Â
Further information on car parking is available here
Public Transport Information:Close to Stevenage Town Centre and a number of local bus and train routes.
Further information on public transport is available here: www.intalink.org.uk and www.nationalrail.co.ukÂ
Cycling:You can find details of the cycle network in Stevenage here…
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