Our green and pleasant land

A CELEBRATION of Chester's historical gardens, parks and green open spaces is being held during Cheshire Year of Gardens.

The exhibition, Chester's Parks and Gardens, at the city's History and Heritage Centre at St Michael's Church also features a photographic exhibition by David Heke entitled Human Spaces In Open Places.
The photographs are a study of Hoole allotments.

A showcase of the city's parks includes Grosvenor Park with its Victorian formal avenues, Westminster Park which was leased from the Duke of Westminster in the 1940s and Hoole's Alexandra Park, named after the Queen in 1911.

Visitors will recognise the city centre's Water Tower Gardens and Edgar's Field in Handbridge and notice the changes around the amphitheatre which used to be gardens.

The exhibition tells the history of the Roman Gardens which was created in 1949 as Chester's contribution to the Festival of Britain in 1951 and improved in 1997.

Private residences also form part of the exhibition. Hoole House, formerly situated on the corner of Hoole Road and Piper's Lane, had an important alpine rock garden, a camellia house and a geranium house.
A central lawn was surrounded by 27 circular flower beds.

A grotto is all that remains of the gardens at Hoole Bank House, which now houses the Hammond School.
Designed by the owner Mr Hayes, the space included a maze for his two sons. This was uprooted during the Second World War to make an American base camp and only the grotto survived.

Chester's Parks and Gardens featuring Human Spaces in Open Places by David Heke, is at the Chester History & Heritage Centre until May 25.