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Council parks and recreations

Royal Pavilion gardens: English Heritage grade II listed

Photo by Tony Mould

Land of more than 2,546 acres

Reproduced with permission from the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder, 1990

Please note that this text is an extract from a reference work written in 1990. As a result, some of the content may not reflect recent research, changes and events.

Brighton Council's Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for about 2,546 acres of parks, gardens, playing fields, etc., which include approximately 144 acres of allotments, 63 tennis-courts, 16 bowling-greens, 25 cricket pitches, 2 municipal golf-courses, a pitch-and-putt course, 60 football, rugby and hockey pitches, and 32 children's playgrounds.
Several parks and gardens have been designated by the council as being of historic interest, and special care will be taken to preserve and restore their original layout and features; they are: the Kemp Town enclosures; Kipling Garden, Rottingdean; Park Crescent; Preston Manor grounds; Preston Park; Preston Rockery; Queen's Park; Royal Pavilion grounds; Stanmer Park; and the Victoria Gardens. Only the Royal Pavilion and Preston Manor grounds are on the English Heritage list, however, at grade II.

Any numerical cross-references in the text above refer to resources in the Sources and Bibliography section of the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder.

This page was added on 23/09/2007.

Comments about this page

My mother worked just opposite the Royal Pavilion Gardens in a hair dressing salon in North Street. In school holidays I would spend time in the salon with her and earn myself sixpence or so for sweeping up sometimes. One sunny day she asked if I woud like to go and sit in the Pavilion Gardens for a while. Slightly reluctant to go by myself I did agree. She took me across the road to safety and told me to stand on that side of the road when I was ready to return and she would see me and come and collect me to cross the road again. Shyly I took myself into the gardens and sat on the first bench I came to. A little old lady started to talk to me and asked if I'd like an apple. Having always been advised never to accept sweets from a stranger I politely said 'no thank you'. However she must have insisted because five minutes later I was back on the roadside waiting for mum to collect me again with a whole bag full of apples. I was so nervous. I wasn't sure if mum would tell me off for accepting the apples or if I'd get poisoned by them. The only thing that confused mum was why I didn't stay longer. The big world was too big for me on my own.

By Sandra (10/12/2008)