Queens Gardens (officially but ungrammatically spelt without an apostrophe, but commonly spelt with one as Queen's Gardens) is a roughly triangular area of trees and lawn in central Dunedin, New Zealand.
Queens Gardens (officially but ungrammatically spelt without an apostrophe, but commonly spelt with one as Queen's Gardens) is a roughly triangular area of trees and lawn in central Dunedin, New Zealand.
The Gardens sit at the northern end of the Warehouse Precinct, and lie some 200 metres to the east of The Exchange, the city's former commercial hub on Princes Street. They are bounded by several major roads, among them the two one-way streets which form part of SH 1, one of which cuts through the westernmost tip of the Gardens. As such, the area around Queens Gardens includes some of the inner city's busiest traffic junctions.
Several notable structures stand within the gardens: a Celtic Cross, symbolising the city's first European settlers and built in 2000 to mark the end of the second Christian millennium, stands at the northern end of the gardens. Statues to Queen Victoria and Donald M. Stuart, one of Dunedin's founding fathers, also stand in the gardens. The gardens are dominated, however, by the city's main war memorial, the 28-metre (92 ft) tall eight-sided column of Dunedin Cenotaph, built between 1924 and 1927. [1] A smaller memorial, listing New Zealand Victoria Cross recipients, stands next to the cenotaph. Several of the trees surrounding the perimeter of Queens Gardens were planted to remember various war anniversaries, and are accompanied by plaques commemorating these events, [2] The gardens are the scene of commemorations on ANZAC Day every April.
Queens Gardens sit on reclaimed land very close to the original landing site for Māori waka. The area of harbour where Queens Gardens now sit was reclaimed in the final years of the 19th century. Originally called The Triangle, it was officially named Victoria Gardens in 1904 [3] but soon became known as "The Queen's Gardens", from which its current name developed.
The gardens' location close to The Exchange means that it is surrounded by many notable buildings, many of them the legacy of the city's prosperity during the Central Otago gold rush of the 1860s. Several of the Exchange's historic buildings in that area (such as Consultancy House) overlook the gardens. The historic district of the Warehouse Precinct runs south from Queens Gardens, with its main street, Vogel Street, ending at the gardens' southern edge, and the historic precinct of Burlington Street runs north from Queens Gardens to Moray Place.
Several prominent landmarks surround Queens Gardens, most notably the former NZR Bus depot, at the gardens' eastern edge, which now forms the transport and technology wing of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum. Immediately to the south of this is the Dunedin Chinese Garden.
The First Church of Otago sits atop a rocky outcrop (the remains of Bell Hill) overlooking the northern end of the gardens. Further notable and historically listed buildings, such as the flatiron-like Imperial Building and nearby Commercial Building, are located nearby at the foot of Dowling Street, which forms part of the city's main arts district and contains numerous galleries and artists' studios.
Other historically recognised buildings within Queens Gardens include Phoenix House (the former Equitable Insurance Association Building) and the New Zealand Insurance Company Building, both of which are listed as historic buildings by Heritage New Zealand. [4] [5]
Dunedin's historic railway station, internationally regarded as a major architectural landmark [6] [7] stands within sight of the gardens some 350 metres to the northeast.
The ruins of Cargill's Castle stand on a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean in New Zealand's southern city of Dunedin. It is one of about ten castles in New Zealand, the other one in Otago being nearby Larnach Castle. More a castle in name than in fact, this Italianate mansion was built for Edward Cargill, eighth child of city founder William Cargill, in the late 19th century, who called it The Cliffs. Designed by the young architect Francis Petre, and built in concrete by Harry Lyders at a cost of £14,000, it was completed in 1877. Several kilometres south of the castle is Tunnel Beach, so named because this quiet beach is only accessible through a steeply sloping tunnel cut into the 60 metres (200 ft) high cliffs by the Cargill family. It is also very likely that Petre was the supervisor of the construction of the tunnel. While designing the house, Petre fell in love with Cargill's daughter Margaret. After a difficult courtship the couple were eventually permitted to marry, the wedding taking place in the villa's principal salon on 1 March 1881.
Dunedin railway station is a prominent landmark and tourist site in Dunedin, a city in the South Island of New Zealand. It is speculated by locals to be the most photographed building in the country, as well as the second most photographed in the southern hemisphere, after the Sydney Opera House.
George Street is the main street of Dunedin, the second largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. It runs for two and a half kilometres north-northeast from The Octagon in the city centre to the foot of Pine Hill. It is straight and undulates gently as it skirts the edge of the hills to its northwest. South of The Octagon, Princes Street continues the line of George Street south-southwest for two kilometres.
The Dunedin School of Medicine is the name of the School of Medicine that is based on the Dunedin campus of the University of Otago. All University of Otago medical students who gain entry after the competitive Health Sciences First Year program, or who gain graduate entry, spend their second and third years studying at the Otago Medical School in Dunedin. In their fourth, fifth, and sixth years, students can either study at the Dunedin School of Medicine (Dunedin), the University of Otago, Christchurch, or the University of Otago, Wellington.
First Church is a prominent church in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located in the heart of the city on Moray Place, 100 metres to the south of the city centre. The church is the city's primary Presbyterian church. The building is regarded as the most impressive of New Zealand's nineteenth-century churches, and is listed by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I structure.
The Octagon is the city centre of Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is an eight-sided plaza with a circular one-way carriageway, bisected by the city's main street, and is also the central terminus of two other main thoroughfares. The Octagon is predominantly a pedestrian reserve, with grass and paved features, and is surmounted by a statue of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Several of Dunedin's significant buildings and institutions adjoin the plaza, which is also a major hub for public transport in Dunedin, primarily taxi services.
Princes Street is a major street in Dunedin, the second largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. It runs south-southwest for two kilometres from The Octagon in the city centre to the Oval sports ground, close to the city's Southern Cemetery. North of The Octagon, George Street continues the line of Princes Street north-northeast for two and a half kilometres. Princes Street is straight but undulating, skirting the edge of the City Rise to its northwest. The part of the street immediately below The Octagon is the steepest section, as the road traverses an old cutting through Bell Hill.
Moray Place is an octagonal street which surrounds the city centre of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. The street is intersected by Stuart Street, Princes Street and George Street. Like many streets in Dunedin, it is named for a street in the Scottish capital Edinburgh.
Stuart Street is one of the main streets of Dunedin, New Zealand. As with many of Dunedin's streets, it is named after a main street in Edinburgh, Scotland.
King Edward Technical College is a former school and technical college in Dunedin, New Zealand. The college was established in 1889 as the Dunedin Technical School when the Caledonian Society instigated night education classes.
Nathaniel Young Armstrong Wales was a 19th-century architect, Member of Parliament, and Mayor in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
Dunedin Gasworks Museum is located in South Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of only a few known preserved gasworks museums in the world.
The Dunedin Law Courts is a notable historic building in central Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. They are located at the corner of Lower Stuart Street and Anzac Square, directly opposite the city's historic railway station. Since 1902, the building has been used as the city's law courts, and contains four court rooms, including the ornate High Court, as well as housing the offices and library of the Law Society.
The Wains Hotel Building is a historic hotel building in Dunedin, New Zealand.
The Empire Hotel is a historic building at 396 Princes Street, Dunedin, New Zealand, located some 700 metres southwest of the city centre. Currently empty, it served as a public house from the 1850s until the 1990s. It has a New Zealand Historic Places Trust category 1 listing.
The Cenotaph in the southern New Zealand city of Dunedin stands in the centre of Queens Gardens, close to the city centre. It is the city's main war memorial.
The Warehouse Precinct is an urban area of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. Sited on reclaimed land at the northernmost tip of the Southern Endowment, it lies between 1 and 2 kilometres south of The Octagon, the city's centre.
The Cargill Monument is a notable public monument in central Dunedin, New Zealand. It is dedicated to the city's founding father, Captain William Cargill, and is approximately 7.5 metres (25 ft) in height.
