Halifax Public Gardens
| Halifax Public Gardens | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to the Public Gardens in Halifax |
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| Type | Public park |
| Location | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Area | 16 Acres |
| Created | 1867 |
| Operated by | Halifax Regional Municipality |
The Halifax Public Gardens are Victorian era public gardens formally established in 1867, the year of Canadian Confederation. The gardens are located in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia on the Halifax Peninsula near the popular shopping district of Spring Garden Road. The gardens were designated as a national historic site in 1984.
The Public Gardens encompass 16 acres and are bounded by Spring Garden Road, South Park Street, Summer Street and Sackville Street. They are open annually from approximately May 1 until November 1. The landscaping style is Victorian formal and provides a popular setting for wedding and prom photos. In addition to statues and extensive flower beds, there are three fountains, two stone bridges, three ponds (one large and two small), and a small concession building (located in the original Horticultural Hall).[1] The gardens also feature a bandstand that is used for free public concerts on Sunday afternoons during the summer. There are celebrations in the gardens every year on Canada day (July 1st) and Natal Day (the first Monday in August).
In the past, many people enjoyed feeding the ducks who make the gardens their home, although it is now prohibited.[2]
The Public Gardens were badly damaged by Hurricane Juan in 2003. Many trees were destroyed, necessitating the early closure of the gardens and some redesign. The gardens reopened on Canada Day, 2004 after a restoration aided in part by $1 million which was raised during a radio telethon.
The Public Gardens has various war monuments: a commemorative plaque for the Halifax Provisional Battalion (1785) which served in the North West Rebellion; a statue of a soldier from the Second Boer War; and a tree planted in memory of the first Canadian casualty of the Boer War, Charles Carroll Wood.
[edit] Further reading
- The Halifax Public Gardens, The Friends of the Public Gardens, Halifax, 1989
- "The Magnolia Tree", a short story by Barbara Grantmyre published in Atlantic Anthology, Will R. Bird, ed., McLelland & Stewart, 1959.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
Coordinates: 44°38′34″N 63°34′56″W / 44.64278°N 63.58222°W
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