My Brighton and Hove | Tours | Personal tours | Schoolchild's tour | Preston Park rockery

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Preston Park rockery

Preston Park Rockery, Brighton, 1994

Click to hear Jessica speak

Newts and frogspawn

By Jessica, schoolchild

"This is the Rockery across the road from Preston Park. I like to go there in the spring and summer. The flowers are out, and there are newts and frogs and frogspawn. I like running up the paths and going across the little bridges which are over the waterfalls. I think about the Willow Pattern story a lot, because when it was built, it was based on the willow pattern. There's a lake in the middle, and there are stepping-stones on, and that's nice to go on."

Image and text from the 'My Brighton' museum exhibit

This page was added on 22/03/2006.

Comments:

I am very proud to be head gardener of Preston rock garden. Although looking a little sparse with regards to planting due to a bit of neglect over the last 10 years, it is still a superb place to visit. Hopefully in the not too distant future, the site will be returned to its former glory, courtesy of the National Lottery bid, which has already seen Preston Manor walled garden restored to its former glory. Any questions, please contact me. Kindest regards.

By Andy Jeavons (12/04/2003)

I remember the Rockery in the late 50s/early 60s. I would have been around 10-15 years of age. I often used to visit it with my father and loved to play hide-and-seek with him. I also remember playing truant from school on a hot summer's afternoon, buying lots of crisps from the tuck shop and hiding in the Rockery until it was time to go home! The pond was full of goldfish, especially after there had been a fair in the Preston Park!

By Ruth Mitchell (nee Rickards) (17/12/2003)

I lived in Brighton in the mid 80s, and I remember that garden so well. I was a student au pair. When I felt rather lonely, I loved having a walk there and feeling its quietness and beauty. I've never been back to Brighton since 1990, but this is probably one of the first places I'd go back to!

By Claudine (08/04/2004)

I live in Brighton and the Rockery is one of my favourite places to go. I remember hot summer days just laying in the grass and listening to the silence. Most of my friends go into town now at the weekends, but if it is too hot I normally persuade them to come with me to the Rockery and we have loads of fun and get lovely tans!

By Rachel Brott (23/05/2004)

My mum and aunties used to take me to the Rockery in the hoildays for a picnic. I used to love it there, until I fell into the pond. My mum had to drag me home dripping wet.

By Emma Gallagher (18/08/2004)

Most people refer to this as The Rockery, but I believe it is in fact correctly called The Rookery. I used to go there often as a child and loved the stepping stones and the beautiful big goldfish.

By Angela Taylor (11/03/2005)

Is this near where the Pet Cemetery used to be in the mid 1940s? We used to walk there when I was a pupil at St.Wilfred's. Whatever happened to St.Wilfred's? Does anyone have any photos of it?

By Alison de Caen (14/03/2005)

I am lucky enough to live next door to the Rookery (its correct name). B&HBC should do everything in their power to improve this jewel in our City and also do something about stopping the vandals who seem to take great delight in damaging the place Friday / Saturday nights in the summer. It's a shame the police seem to be more interested in tearing around in cars than patrolling the area on foot.

By Tony Ward (31/03/2005)

I have lived in Brighton & Hove all my life, I could never leave, but the Rockery is one of my favourite places, its so peaceful, yet vibrant with colour. I strongly recommend going to see it if you are visiting our lovely city.

By Lucy Golds (14/04/2005)

Hooray! Thank you Mr Ward - let's all call it The Rookery then, shall we? Apart from it being the correct name, 'Rockery' makes it sound so parochial - something Brighton never was.

By Angela Taylor (30/09/2005)

I used to live in Preston Road, in the 1940s early 50s and it was called the Rookery then. All the people that have spoken on this site have really brought back memories. Does anybody remember the Crown and Anchor pub when all the professional boxers used to train there?

By Bluey Atkins (17/04/2006)

The Rookery (correctly named) was the place where I did my earliest courting. Two girls will be always a happy memory of those days as being a teenager in the early 50s at that time I learnt all about life (and girls). Many thanks to Gloria and Pat.

By Bob Munro (07/08/2006)

My Mother was born in the early Twenties in Elms Lea House, which is where the road of the same name now is, and she always called it Rookery Nook. Has anyone else ever heard it called this, or was my mother unique?

By Neil (13/03/2007)