Candie Gardens is a park in St Peter Port, Guernsey, originally established as a Victorian pleasure gardens in 1894.
Origins
The gardens were originally those of Candie House, and became a public park in 1894.[1]
Features
The Upper Gardens feature panoramic views over the islands of Herm and Sark.[1] Two statues of note within the Upper Gardens are those of Queen Victoria and Victor Hugo.[1] The statue of Victoria was erected in 1900 to mark her Diamond Jubilee; it was cast in bronze by C B Birch and is a replica of those in Aberdeen and the Thames Embankment,[1] and was cast by the same foundry, Hollingshead & Burton of Thames Ditton.[2] The statue of Hugo was erected in 1914, and was a gift of the French Government as thanks for the hospitality shown towards the writer during his exile on Guernsey.[1] It was sculpted by Jean Boucher from stone, mounted on a limestone base, which, in turn, sits on a block of Jaonneuse granite.[3]
The former Candie House is now the Priaulx Library.[1][4] The Upper Gardens also feature the Guernsey Museum and an adjacent café, in the former bandstand.[1] The museum was established in 1978, replacing the former Pavilion, at which The Beatles played in 18 August 1963.[5] The Beatles performed two shows on the day, at 7pm and 9.15pm, were their only ones on the island, and were promoted by Baron Pontin.[6][7]
Just behind the pavilion stands Café Victoria.
The Lower Gardens feature a rare surviving example of a Victorian Public Flower Garden, which was restored in 1998-99.[1] There are also two surviving greenhouses in the Lower Gardens, both dating from 1792 and 1793.[1][8]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Guernsey Museums: Candie Gardens". Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Guernsey Museums: Queen Victoria Statue". Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Guernsey Museums: Victor Hugo statue". Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Priaulx Library: About". Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "On this day in Guernsey: The Beatles played at Candie Gardens". Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "The Beatles Bible - Live: Candie Gardens, Guernsey". The Beatles Bible. 8 August 1963. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Shackleton, Shaun (8 August 2023). "New Fab Four to rock Candie Gardens 60 years on". guernseypress.com. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "BBC News: Guernsey Candie Gardens ticket office restored, 24 December 2021". Retrieved 20 August 2022.
This page was last edited on 14 May 2024, at 10:41