Bispham Rock Gardens
Encyclopedia
Bispham Rock Gardens, also known as Devonshire Road Rock Gardens, is a municipal park
located in Bispham, Blackpool
on the Fylde coast
in Lancashire
, England
. The gardens are an important wildlife resource and contains a number of rare species.
The main entrance to the gardens is at the top of Knowle Hill on Devonshire Road. The gardens run downhill toward Inver Road. Views from the top of the gardens can be seen toward Pendle Hill
, Beacon Fell and the Bowland fells
.
The park has been regularly used for many years as a setting for wedding photography
.
Fun Day, the first of which was held on 31 July 2007 and attracted about 300 people with Guests of Honour being the Mayor
of Blackpool, Robert Wynne, and the area's MP
, Joan Humble
.
The Heritage Lottery Fund
gave a grant of £20,000 in May 2006 to help restore the gardens which received a major revamp with the creation of an educational woodland walk and butterfly
habitat. The Friends group forged links with local schools who use the park for outdoor projects such as mini-beast and pond studies. Also the Lancashire Wildlife Trust is monitoring the rare White-letter Hairstreak
butterfly which lives in the gardens. The Woodland Walk is designed to include a story telling ring, disabled friendly winding paths, a sculpture display area and mosaic
s.
In November 2007 contractors started a project to completely re-lay the gardens paths. The project cost £57,000 with funding coming from various sources, including Blackpool Borough Council, the local area forum and local firms. The project also received a £39,000 grant from The Veolia Environmental Trust under the Landfill Communities Fund. The work on the paths makes them disabled friendly. Also included in the project is a new enclosed "hilly" landscape to provide runners
with a challenging workout and grassed paths for light walks.
Urban park
An urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...
located in Bispham, Blackpool
Bispham, Blackpool
Bispham is a village roughly one-and-a-half miles north of Blackpool town centre on the Fylde coast in the county of Lancashire, England.-Geography and administration:...
on the Fylde coast
The Fylde
The Fylde ; Scandinavian: "field") is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The gardens are an important wildlife resource and contains a number of rare species.
The main entrance to the gardens is at the top of Knowle Hill on Devonshire Road. The gardens run downhill toward Inver Road. Views from the top of the gardens can be seen toward Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill is located in the north-east of Lancashire, England, near the towns of Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Clitheroe and Padiham, an area known as Pendleside. Its summit is above mean sea level. It gives its name to the Borough of Pendle. It is an isolated hill, separated from the Pennines to the...
, Beacon Fell and the Bowland fells
Forest of Bowland
The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells, is an area of barren gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England. A small part lies in North Yorkshire, and much of the area was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire...
.
History
The gardens were founded in the early 1900s, and were opened to the public in 1925. Over the years the gardens fell into disrepair, were vandalised and used less and less by local residents. In 2002 the Friends of the Rock Gardens was formed to improve community access and use of the park; and to restore the park's amenities.The park has been regularly used for many years as a setting for wedding photography
Wedding photography
Wedding photography is the photography of activities relating to weddings. It encompasses photographs of the couple before marriage as well as coverage of the wedding and reception...
.
Gardens renovation
The Friends group has held fund raising events such as an Easter Extravaganza and a Teddy Bears' PicnicTeddy bears' picnic
"Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody by American composer John Walter Bratton, written in 1907, and lyrics added by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy in 1932. It remains popular as a children's song, having been recorded by numerous artists over the decades. Kennedy lived at...
Fun Day, the first of which was held on 31 July 2007 and attracted about 300 people with Guests of Honour being the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Blackpool, Robert Wynne, and the area's MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Joan Humble
Joan Humble
Jovanka Humble is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Fleetwood from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
.
The Heritage Lottery Fund
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
gave a grant of £20,000 in May 2006 to help restore the gardens which received a major revamp with the creation of an educational woodland walk and butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
habitat. The Friends group forged links with local schools who use the park for outdoor projects such as mini-beast and pond studies. Also the Lancashire Wildlife Trust is monitoring the rare White-letter Hairstreak
White-letter Hairstreak
The White-letter Hairstreak is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.-Appearance, behaviour and distribution:A dark little butterfly that spends the majority of its life in the tree tops, feeding on honeydew, making it best observed through binoculars. The uppersides are a dark brown with a small...
butterfly which lives in the gardens. The Woodland Walk is designed to include a story telling ring, disabled friendly winding paths, a sculpture display area and mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s.
In November 2007 contractors started a project to completely re-lay the gardens paths. The project cost £57,000 with funding coming from various sources, including Blackpool Borough Council, the local area forum and local firms. The project also received a £39,000 grant from The Veolia Environmental Trust under the Landfill Communities Fund. The work on the paths makes them disabled friendly. Also included in the project is a new enclosed "hilly" landscape to provide runners
Trail running
Trail running is a variant on running that differs markedly from road running and track running. Trail running generally takes place on hiking trails, most commonly single track trails, although fire roads are not uncommon. A distinguishing characteristic of the trails is that they are often...
with a challenging workout and grassed paths for light walks.
See also
- George Bancroft Park, BlackpoolGeorge Bancroft Park, BlackpoolGeorge Bancroft Park is a municipal park and garden created in the town of Blackpool in 2006. The park is named after George Bancroft who a former leader of Blackpool Town Council who died in 2001.-Background:...
- Kincraig Lake Ecological ReserveKincraig Lake Ecological ReserveKincraig Lake Ecological Reserve is a wildlife reserve located in Bispham in Blackpool on the Fylde coast, Lancashire, England...
- Kingscote Park, BlackpoolKingscote Park, BlackpoolKingscote Park is a municipal park in Layton, a suburb of Blackpool in the county of Lancashire, England. The park is the second largest park within Blackpool after Stanley Park and the largest park in Layton.-Background:...
- Moor Park, BlackpoolMoor Park, BlackpoolMoor Park is a municipal park located in the Moor Park area of Bispham in Blackpool on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England.The park is bordered by Bispham Road to the west, Moor Park Avenue to the south, housing on Bristol Avenue to the north and businesses on Bristol Avenue to the east...
- Salisbury Woodland Gardens, BlackpoolSalisbury Woodland Gardens, BlackpoolSalisbury Woodland Gardens is an open space located in the east of Blackpool, flanked by East Park Drive and Woodside Drive and linking Blackpool Zoo with Stanley Park. Known simply as the Woodland Gardens to local people, the site was acquired in 1924 by Blackpool Corporation and was originally...
- Stanley Park, BlackpoolStanley Park, BlackpoolStanley Park is a municipal park in the town of Blackpool on the Fylde coast in the county of Lancashire, England. It is the largest park in the town, bounded by a roughly circular perimeter of 2.2 miles and covering an area of...