Planned improvements

As part of these heritage landscape improvements, Cityparks will:

  • reshape planting beds to a smart linear form with ground covering, flowering, pollinating perennials and sub-shrubs in a Mediterranean, coastal style similar to Hove Lagoon
  • remove some chain railings surrounding the gardens, creating a new pathway that aligns with an existing crossing point outside the square

We’re hoping to make a future funding application for further enhancements, such as a sundial or a sculpture.

Floral clock

The floral clock feature, installed to commemorate the late Queen’s coronation in 1953, is much loved; however, the clock's mechanism is no longer functioning. It's in poor condition and is no longer viable in its current form.

It was costly and staff-intensive to maintain from the very start, requiring daily maintenance and the application of chemicals and fertilisers, which we no longer use. While financial constraints mean the council alone could not commit to mending and maintaining a working clock, we want the community that loves and uses the garden to help us come up with suggestions for what we might do with this part of the garden.

Our contractors

We commissioned landscape architects to visualise the design and to create the plans for a landscape contractor to deliver.

The plans incorporate sustainable practices to ensure the square’s long-term preservation and biodiversity.