The Japanese Garden In Avenham Park In Preston

Introduction

The first time I revisited Avanham Park last year, I was impressed by its beauty, and the Japanese Garden looked beautiful, but it was just one of many striking features that I captured on the day:

Today I decided to experience the Japanese Garden and found it absolutely delightful.

The fashion for rock gardens and Japanese style gardens began at the end of the Victorian era. with wealthy Britons returning from travels in the far east and developing their own versions of the gardens they had seen on their travels. This trend continued all over Britain throughout the early part of the 20th Century with Preston's Rock Garden being opened in 1936 by Councillor James Harrison, Mayor of Preston.

This area of the park was originally a duck pond before being remodelled. The garden was redesigned incorporating 400 tons of rock costing 19s 6d per ton and supplied by Wardley Bros of Milnthorpe, water pumping equipment supplied by Blackstone and Go at a cost of £92 10s. The iron railings cost £76 and were completed by Walmsley and Son. This area remains one of the most popular areas of the park and includes some specimen trees such as Acers and Magnolia trees.

This area has also become important to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, Mormons are a branch of the Christian Church which began in around 1820. The first British and European baptisms took place in the River Ribble on 30th July 1837 and Preston remains the home of the oldest continuous branch of the Church anywhere in the world.

That is the text taken from the information at the entrance to the garden. Walking through the garden, I found it very peaceful, especially with the sound of the running water.

I spoke with Tony, who was working on one of the water features, and he told me how much he loved the place. He obviously was enjoying his work.

The weather today was beautiful, which made my visit even nicer, but I am sure it will not be my last visit to the garden.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading. If you ever get a chance to visit, take it.

The music is "Discovering Japan" by Graham Parker and The Rumour.