Priory Park's Formal Gardens officially open
The restored formal garden’s in Priory Park, Reigate, were officially opened to the public on Friday 16 May 2008.
Children from Reigate Priory Junior School switched on the garden's newly renovated fountain.
The reinstatement of the formal gardens around the Priory building forms a key part of our project to restore Priory Parks heritage
Visitors to the park were then treated to a talk by the landscape architects behind the restoration, Land Use Consultants, best known for their work on the famous Eden Project, and given a guided tour of the picturesque surroundings.
Multi million pound project
The restoration of the formal gardens to their former glory forms part of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council’s multi-million pound project to renovate and enhance Priory Park, backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Cllr Adam De Save, Executive Member for Leisure and Wellbeing, said: "The reinstatement of the formal gardens around the Priory building forms a key part of our project to restore Priory Park’s heritage.
"By returning the gardens to their earlier Victorian design, originally introduced by Lady Henry Somerset who owned Reigate Priory between 1883 and 1905, we have created a more suitable setting for the Grade I Listed Priory. A number of the garden’s key historical features have also been restored or reinstated, including the monumental fountain.
"I am sure visitors to the park will agree that the Sunken Gardens, Tea Garden and Monk’s Walk now provide a beautiful setting and once the new planting becomes more established the gardens will really be seen at their best."
Restoration
In the Sunken Garden a formally patterned flower garden, known as a parterre, has been created using a geometric planting pattern and new topiary trees. Important historical features in the garden including the stone seats, steps and monumental fountain have been restored to their former glory. The hedge surrounding the sunken garden was removed to restore the views towards and away from the Priory building but the Irish plumb yew topiaries at the rear of the two stone seats have been retained to restore the garden’s late 19th Century appearance. New standard topiary trees have been planted to line the central path running between the Priory and Sunken Garden and the buried Ha Ha (sunken wall) has been uncovered and repaired.
New sundial
Monk’s Walk and the Tea Garden were first recorded in the 1914 Ordnance Survey. They have been refurbished to mirror their original state using photographic records for guidance. The stone seat at the end of Monk’s Walk has been renovated, a York Stone path laid, and borders planted. A new sundial has also been installed to reinstate one of the park’s ‘lost’ historical features. Some of the existing conifers along the walk have been replaced with clipped Yew hedges. The Tea Garden features a central lawn, York Stone path and herb garden planting surrounded by high box-hedging.
Relocated facilities
The modern facilities that were close to the Priory, including the old children’s playground, tennis courts and skate park have been relocated and replaced with new 21st Century facilities elsewhere in the park to allow for the restoration work.
Rebecca Perry from Legal and General said, "It’s fantastic to see how the project has come together. As a major local employer we are delighted to be able to help to make a difference to the local community. We are sure that the park will give great pleasure to all of its visitors for generations to come."
For more information see the Priory Park restoration project pages.
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