St Ann's Well Gardens

A gem ….

Off the 7 bus route and near Western road

Nice Cafe

There is also an important LGBT memorial and during the festival there are special events. There is also a sensory garden – for all but esp Blind persons.

The best park in Brighton, apart from Hove Park

The council staff should be praised for this – expect not.

Cheers

Review By Mr Dog:

great park for squirrel hunting and sniffing – my owner takes my waste home too!

Fido Age 8

Lovely gardens with a grand gated entrance, leading to a wonderland of all things green.

Celebrating a long history, the gardens were first opened to the public in 1908, and now boasts 8 tennis courts, a bowling green, a childrens playground, a sensory garden, and most famously the iron bearing spring, now known as St Anne's Well.

My first visit to the park was just this weekend, having stumbled upon it whilst cycling around on my new bike. There's a cafe selling food and drink, and most importantly ice cream, and plenty of little nooks and crannies for kids to climb trees and friends to wander.

A lovely place to chill out and enjoy the summer sunshine.

There are people who live in the Brighton/Hove area for many years and never visit St Ann's Well Gardens. They are missing the "jewel within the crown" as St Ann's Well is a haven, not to be missed There are beautiful gardens well layed out with plenty of open space for cgildren to play. There is a bowling freen and tennis courts. At the centre of the gardens there is a lovely cafe where you can get snacks and lunches. But for me, and many others, the real joy of the gardens lies in the nature consrvation areas and the wildlife attracted to the gardens and is a favourite place for bird and squirrel watching.

Great park and cafe, tennis courts are usually available too. Public loos always handy to know about.

This park is somewhere we still travel back into Hove for. We moved to Worthing from Hove in 2006 and instantly regretted not having somewhere as lovely as this within walking distance!

Our children never tire of the extensive playareas with the biggest slide they know of.

The cafe is always good for tasty wholseome food at very reasonable prices.

St Ann’s Well Gardens is an attractive and traditional park bounded by Somerhill Road, Nizells Road and Furze Hill in Hove. There are entrances to the park from each road.

Opened in 1908, the compact gardens have something for everyone: There’s a wild woodland area, popular with dog walkers and wildlife enthusiasts, with different species of trees, birdlife and squirrels; two play areas for children (one for toddlers); a small pond; 8 tennis courts and a bowling green; an accessible sheltered ‘sensory garden’ with lots of scented plants, plenty of seats and a handrail around the perimeter; traditional lawns and flower beds; and a cafe, open 9-16.30h (depending on the weather - ring ahead on (01273) 735 187). Tennis courts can be booked on (01273) 292704 or online via the web-site.

The gardens are named after a ‘Chalybeate’ (iron bearing) spring, famous for its health-giving waters. The well is supposedly known from Saxon times, although the dedication to Ann may reflect the popularity of dedicating wells to her after the return of Crusaders from the Holy Land from 1150 onwards.

The iron-rich waters - which emerged with some force - were recommended as a tonic by Dr Richard Russell (1687-1759) and by Mrs Fitzherbert (1756-1837), the friend of the Prince regent, later George IV. Around 1800 an imposing pump room was built over the spring to accommodate the substantial number of visitors who came to ‘take the waters’.

Towards the end of the 19th century, artesian wells sunk locally meant that the flow of the waters had considerably declined and the enterprise closed. The Pump House on the site was demolished in 1935, and a small ‘Wishing Well’ now marks the spot. A small (and rather unreliable) spring now feeds a stream through the park.

The gardens are busy all year round with families and dog owners, and especially so in summer. They were awarded a Green Flag in 2006 for their quality and the Council’s commitment to nature conservation on the site.

It’s a favourite spot for mine for a walk, fresh air and a cup of coffee!