Monument record MDO23215 - Greenhill Gardens, Weymouth

Greenhill Gardens were laid out in 1871-2 in a previously undeveloped area to the north of Weymouth, on land belonging to Sir Frederic Johnstone; Johnstone, a member of a locally influential family, was to become MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis in 1874, retaining his seat until 1885. The gardens originally consisted only of the larger, south-western part of the current gardens, the north-eastern area which now contains the tennis courts and bowling green being then a separate parcel of land. The original layout of the gardens was designed by the notable local architect G R Crickmay (1830-1907), who was architect to the Johnstone estate. The gardens were hailed as a welcome new facility for the growing resort town. The Southern Times observed in June 1872 that ‘The land at Greenhill will be laid out in wide undulating walks, following as near as possible the contour of the ground’; there were to be areas of rockery, and planting was to feature pines and hardy shrubs. A platform for a band was to be placed near the road, and other attractions were to include grounds for croquet and archery. In 1884 the gardens were the scene of civil unrest, when local people protested against the enclosure of what was claimed to be common land; Johnstone established his ownership of the site. In 1902 Johnstone gave the garden site to the Borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis as ‘a permanent benefit upon the inhabitants of Weymouth’, and in 1904 the adjoining north-eastern piece of land was also bought, to provide an extension to the gardens. In 1906 the prolific garden designer William Goldring (1854-1919), who had planned the Dorchester Borough Gardens in 1895-6, was employed to work on the garden extension. From the first this area was used for sports facilities, with grass tennis courts, a croquet lawn (this area was marked as a ‘putting green’ on the 1929 Ordnance Survey map) and a bowling green. The year 1923 saw considerable development to the gardens and their environs, when a local authority employment scheme built the beach chalets to the north of the site, below the extended bowling green and new all-weather tennis courts; other works included the construction of the sports pavilion and re-landscaping in the gardens. Other noteworthy developments to the gardens have included the addition of a commemorative shelter following the First World War, the erection of two rows of wooden chalets circa 1929, and the installation of a floral clock.

Greenhill Gardens, public gardens first laid out by G R Crickmay in 1871-2, and considerably extended in 1904, with later alterations.

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING: Greenhill Gardens are located at the northern end of Weymouth's Esplanade, towards the northern end of the town. The gardens run on a south-west/north-east axis, and occupy an area of approximately 1.6ha, sloping south-eastwards towards the sea; the gardens are separated from the water by The Esplanade. To the south of the gardens, a row of houses lines The Esplanade; most post-date the gardens, but at a short distance to the south stands the former Grand Hotel of 1840, later known as Greenhill House (listed at Grade II). The gardens are bounded to the north-west by Greenhill, with its row of late-19th and 20th century detached villas facing the gardens. The north-eastern edge of the gardens is constructed over the two terraces of beach chalets dating from 1923, which are accessed from The Esplanade. The gardens have no historic boundary walls or fencing, except at the northern end, where the bowling green is bounded by a low, ramped wall, and on the seaward side, by a balustrade above the 1923 beach chalets (listed at Grade II); a late-20th century stone wall with piers supporting timber screens now demarcates the south-eastern boundary. The gardens themselves fall into three main sections: to the south-west is an area of lawns and flowerbeds; in the middle the levelled north-western part holds the putting green, with the wooden chalets placed below them to the south-east; the north-eastern section contains the hard tennis courts, with the pavilion and bowling green beyond.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES: The main entrance is at the south-east corner of the gardens, where it is thought originally to have been located. This entrance is now served by modern metal gates. There are openings giving access to the gardens from Greenhill to the north-west and from the promenade to the south-west. This area of the gardens can be reached by two sets of steps leading up from The Esplanade, integrated with the chalet complex below.

PRINCIPAL BUILDINGS: The BENNETT’S SHELTER stands near the centre of the southern section of the gardens, facing east. Built shortly after the First World War, the shelter was given by the local mayor, V H Bennett, to celebrate the armistice. The shelter replaced earlier, smaller shelters. The building has a timber frame resting on a low stone plinth, and a tiled roof. There are large multi-pane glazed panels to the front, south and north elevations, the central part of the front elevation having an open timber screen with new metal gates affixed. The rear wall is boarded. Inside, a slatted bench runs along the rear, southern and northern walls.

The CHALETS, erected circa 1929, form two rows of attached single-storey structures, set into the eastern slope of the middle section of the gardens, the northern row being at a higher level than the southern row. The two rows are of very similar design, with some variation; it is thought that the northern group slightly pre-dates the southern group, a pair in the style of the southern group having been added at the north end of the northern group. The chalets are of boarded timber, the front elevation of each containing four panels, the central two forming French windows. In the northern group these panels are partially glazed, and in the southern group fully glazed. The pitched roofs overhang the front elevations, being supported by square timber piers, forming a shallow colonnade in front of the buildings. The piers are in triplets in the northern row, whilst in the southern row a single pier stands at the junction between each two chalets.

The SPORTS PAVILION, which stands in the northern section of the gardens, facing the bowling green, dates from the year 2000, when it replaced an earlier building. The pavilion is of red brick with a tiled gambrel roof, and has a raised ground floor with storage areas below. The recessed central doorway is reached by steps; the horizontal windows beneath the eaves have been replaced with uPVC.

The CAFÉ stands at the south end of the gardens, near the main entrance; built in 1958, it replaced an earlier café on a nearby site. The flat-roofed building is set into a slope, with the seaward-facing jettied front section resting on piloti. Constructed mainly of stone, the southern projection is fronted with timber, a band of horizontal windows running across the elevation. Both south and north elevations contain a row of three square windows set at a high level.

GARDENS AND RECREATIONAL AREAS: The layout of the south-western section of the gardens is clearly related to the plan visible on the Ordnance Survey map published in 1902, and also to the plan accompanying the 1904 deed, which may be supposed to be close to the original plan as executed in 1871-2. However, this area was truncated by the creation of the croquet lawn or putting green in the early 20th century, and has been subject to further modification since. The section is laid out with curvilinear areas of grass within which are shaped beds, some containing shrubs, others being reserved for seasonal planting. These areas are linked by tarmac paths and short flights of steps. The rising ground is retained by low stone walls of differing phases of construction, which also mark the edges of the grassed areas and beds, where in the early 20th century there were high clipped hedges. In places, the walls contain alcoves for benches. The layout has been adapted to accommodate new buildings and other additions to the gardens. These include the floral clock, built and installed in 1936 by James Ritchie & Son of Edinburgh, and still in working order, with its original mechanism housed in a shed; a weathervane featuring a miniature aircraft, presented to Weymouth College in 1932 to commemorate a 1931 world air speed record set by a former pupil, George Stainforth, and removed to a new circular bed in the gardens in 1952; and a late-20th century wishing well.

The central section retains the early 20th century sports area to north-west, though the former tennis court is now part of the putting green. In the lower area to south-east, the chalets sit above sloping lawns with circular stone beds.

The north-eastern section contains the hard tennis courts, with a promenade to the south-east above the 1923 beach chalets, and the sports pavilion and bowling green. There is a low shelter at the north-eastern end of the bowling green, with a central seating area flanked by storage units. <2>

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

<2> Historic England, UDS Non-Designation case report, 1404749 (Scheduling record). SDO18398.

Case number 1404749, assessed in 2012.

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1552173 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 12 2022 5:17PM