Northernhay Gardens

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Northernhay Gardens are located in Exeter, Devon on the northern side of Rougemont Castle. They are the oldest public open space in England, being originally laid out in 1612 as a pleasure walk for Exeter residents.

The gardens form a crescent shape bounded to the North by the West of England Main Line and Exeter Central railway station Station and to the South by the castle and Rougemont Gardens. Its Eastern entrance is at the head of Northernhay Place and the gardens open on the West to Northernhay Gate.

The site was originally quarried in Roman times for stone for the city walls. The gardens themselves incorporate a stretch of Roman wall and the only length of Saxon town wall to be seen in England.

Much of Northernhay gardens now represent Victorian design, with a beautiful display of trees, mature shrubs and bushes and plenty of flower beds. There are also many statues here, most importantly the War Memorial by John Angel and the Deerstalker by E.B. Stephens. This is one of two War Memorials in the city, the other being in Cathedral Green. The Volunteer Memorial from 1895, also in the gardens, commemorates the formation of the 1st Rifle Volunteers in 1852. Other statues include John Dinham, Thomas Dyke Acland and Stafford Northcote (a local landowner who was a Victorian Chancellor of the Exchequer). The gardens also contain a bandstand.

These gardens are maintained by Exeter City Council as a public space [1]