Queens Gardens, Perth, is a 3.3- hectare (8.2-acre) park on a former brickworks and clay pit site in the eastern end of the Perth central business district. [1] The park is bounded by Hay Street to the south, Plain Street to the west, Nelson Crescent to the north, and Hale Street to the east, which separates it from the WACA Ground.
The site of Queen's Gardens was initially part of the commonage that was used for recreation purposes including horse racing and later as a clay pit and brickworks. Bricks were produced from the site between 1860 and 1890 and featured in many of Perth's prominent buildings constructed at that time, including the Town Hall, The Cloisters and The Barracks. At this time the place was known as the East Perth Clayfields Reserve. Between 1880 and 1890 there were a number of public protests against the use of the site for clay pits, which resulted in the City of Perth partially filling the clay pits to form ponds and the site being transferred to the city for the purpose of establishing a botanic garden. [2]
The park was opened to the public on 9 October 1898; however, it was officially opened and formally named the Queens Gardens by Mayor of Perth Alexander Forrest in October 1899.
In the years before the first world war, it was used as a garden party location by the mayor of Perth; [3] more recently it has been popular for open-air weddings and wedding portraiture.[ citation needed ]
The park was officially transferred to the Perth City Council on 21 January 1902. In 1906, the city erected a caretaker's cottage in the north-east corner of the garden. New entrance gates were erected in 1914 and eight new bridges constructed in place of previous ones. Following the installation of electric lighting in 1924, use of the gardens extended into the evenings. In 1927 new entrance gates were installed at the corner of Hay and Plain streets, replacing the original entrance towards the eastern end of Hay Street.
In June 1929 the Rotary Club of Perth presented the Perth City Council with a replica of the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens in London [4] as a gift to the children of Western Australia to mark the state's centenary. The reproduction was produced by the sculptor of the original statue, Sir George Frampton, and autographed by the creator of Peter Pan, Sir J. M. Barrie.
The park includes a bench that is a replica of the seat in the 1999 film Notting Hill , donated to the City of Perth by a resident known only as Rodd. [5] It has the inscription:
For June who loved this garden
From Joseph who always sat beside her [6]
Until 2019, it was believed to be the original bench from the film, [6] [7] and included a plaque to that effect. [5] The plaque has since been removed. [5]
Byford is a suburb on the south-eastern edge of Perth, Western Australia, within the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale. The town has its origins in a township that was gazetted under the name "Beenup" in 1906. In 1920, the name of the township was changed to Byford.
Glen Forrest is a suburb within the Shire of Mundaring, south of John Forrest National Park, west of Mahogany Creek, east of Darlington, and north of the Helena River. Its northern boundary is determined by the Great Eastern Highway.
Stirling Gardens is a small public park in Perth, Western Australia.
The City of Subiaco is a local government area in Western Australia. It covers an area of approximately 7 km² in inner western metropolitan Perth and lies about 3 km west of the Perth CBD. The City includes the historically working-class suburb of Subiaco centred around Rokeby Road. Since the 1990s the area has been extensively redeveloped and gentrified.
Wesley Church is a Uniting Church in Perth, Western Australia, located at the corner of William Street and Hay Street. It is one of the oldest church buildings and one of few remaining 19th-century colonial buildings in the City of Perth.
Statham's Quarry is the site of a quarry on the Darling Scarp on the southern side of the entrance of the Helena River valley on to the Swan Coastal Plain in Perth, Western Australia. It is located in Gooseberry Hill and is within the bounds of the Gooseberry Hill National Park.
The Swan River Mechanics' Institute was the Swan River Colony's first cultural centre, established on 21 January 1851. In time it was to house an extensive and well-used subscription library and a natural history collection, including botanical, zoological and mineral specimens. A new building replaced the old in 1899, and in 1909 the institute was renamed Perth Literary Institute.
East Perth Locomotive Depot was a major steam locomotive depot for the Western Australian Government Railways from a year before the end of the First World War in 1917 until the end of the steam railway era on its railway system in 1970/1971. The previous locomotive depot had been located west of the Perth railway station.
The former Plaza Theatre is located at 650–658 Hay Street, Perth, Western Australia. It was the first purpose-designed Art Deco cinema in Perth. The Plaza Theatre opened in 1937 and was built for Hoyts Theatres Ltd.
Sir James Mitchell Park is a park along the southern foreshore of Perth Water in Perth, Western Australia. It lies within the suburb of South Perth from Mends Street Jetty, to just south of Heirisson Island.
The Savoy Hotel is a heritage-listed former hotel in Hay Street, Perth, Western Australia. It was built in the 1910s and closed in 1991. It is listed on the State Register of Historic Places, has been classified by the National Trust of Australia, and was listed on the former Register of the National Estate.
Russell Square in Perth, Western Australia is a large public space between Aberdeen Street and James Street in Northbridge. It was named after Lord John Russell.
Trinity Church is a Uniting church located at 72 St Georges Terrace in Perth, Western Australia. Commenced in 1893, the former Congregational church is one of the oldest church buildings in the City of Perth, and one of the few remaining 19th-century colonial buildings in the city.
The Clackline Refractory, also known as Clackline Clay and Brick, is a heritage listed brickworks site in Clackline, Western Australia.
The lanes and arcades of Perth, Western Australia are collectively becoming culturally important to the city.
The City of Perth Library is a public library service provided by the City of Perth. The library is located on Hay Street, next to the Perth Town Hall. It is part of the redevelopment of Cathedral Square, located between St Georges Terrace and Hay, Barrack and Pier Streets.
Pier Street is a street in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It runs from St Georges Terrace to Wellington Street, continuing immediately north of the railway until Brisbane Street very close to where Brisbane Street meets Bulwer Street.
Cathedral Square is a precinct in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia, bounded by Hay Street to the north, Pier Street to the east, St Georges Terrace to the south, and Barrack Street to the west.
Kensington bushland reserve is a significant remnant of Swan Coastal Plain vegetation, that has been reserved in the suburb of Kensington, in Perth, Western Australia, by the state government.
Maylands Brickworks is a historical brickworks factory in Maylands, Western Australia. It operated between 1927 and 1983.
Media related to Queens Gardens, Perth at Wikimedia Commons
