st ann's well gardens

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St Ann's Well Gardens

St Ann's Well Gardens, not far from Hove seafront, is a treat for the tree-lover and will appeal to young and old alike. The park is an oasis of shady peace on a hot summer afternoon or any time of year.

• Friends of St Ann's Well Gardens website

 

Facilities

• Children's playground (separate children and toddler areas)
• Bowling green (1) - open to the public on a pay & play basis
• Tennis courts (8)
• Café
• Well-stocked fish pond
• Sensory garden
• Conservation areas   
• Dog-free areas     
• Toilets

The Garden Café

Somerhill Road, Hove, BN3 1RP (01273) 735187

www.thegardencafehove.co.uk

Open: 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat-Sun

Features and attractions

St Ann's Well Gardens is home to a wide range of native and exotic trees. These give the gardens their unique character and provide shelter and tranquillity for wildlife. Nature conservation is important in the park - there are designated fenced off areas, a stream bed and a well stocked pond with a biological filter system.

Another very popular feature unique to the area and undergoing improvement is the scented garden, which is particularly aimed at providing a sensory experience for the visually impaired in a safe environment.

Did you know?

The park is probably most famous for its Saxon 'Chalybeate' (iron bearing) spring, later known as St Ann's well. The Chalybeate spring is also, supposedly, the starting point of a ley line that continues over the South Downs and beyond.

In 1908 the authorities purchased the gardens for £10,000 and they were opened to the public on Empire Day in 1908.

Conservation

Despite being situated in the middle of the city, the garden boasts a wealth of wildlife. Various birds, including great spotted woodpeckers make their home in the garden, and at night bats leave their roosts to hunt for insects.

To support the park’s bird population, bird boxes and feeders have been placed around the park. Bird spotting and wildlife interpretation boards have been set up in the garden to assist visitors. Some of the newer boards include widget symbols (to help make them accessible to people with learning disabilities).

During the year a number of conservation events take place in the gardens, including dawn chorus walks and events tied into national bat week and the local Springwatch festival.

The conservation work in the garden is the joint effort of our garden staff, park ranger and the Friends of St Ann’s Well Garden.

Park ranger

Our park rangers take a lead role in education events, habitat protection and conservation tasks in their areas. They also provide a reassuring uniformed presence in our parks to encourage a sense of security and to provide information.

The ranger for St Ann’s Well Garden is Sarah Heyes.

Once a month, as part of her role in getting local children to understand and respect the park and its wildlife, Sarah leads the Davigdor School ‘Garden Gang’, in after-school activities. These include pond dipping, building bug hotels and planting bee bars (to encourage insects, beetles and bees).

Accessibility

Some of the garden accessed from the Furze Hill and the eastern end of Nizells Road is laid out on a steep gradient. These areas would not be accessible to people with mobility issues without assistance. Areas of the park accessed from Somerhill Road and the western end of Nizells Road are accessible. Ramps are provided where the pathways feature steps. The café area in the park is accessible, as is the tennis court with the double gates.

A number of planned improvements to the accessibility of the park will be carried out during the rest of the year.

Only on-street parking is available, there are designated accessible bays available on Somerhill Road, Furze Hill and Nizells Avenue.

An accessible toilet is available in-between the pavilion and café.

• Cityparks easy access page

Location

St Ann’s Well Garden is in Hove, within easy walking distance from Western Road to the south and Seven Dials to the east.

The garden is easily acessible by car or public transport. View map or see local bus timetable information.

Contacts and useful links

Our events diary includes events in our parks and public green spaces.

For daily maintenance contact Cityparks or telephone (01273)292929.

For details on how to book the sports facilities contact Sports Bookings.

The operations manager responsible for St Ann’s Well Garden is Brian Mann.