Rest Garden: Dyke Road

Blossom in 2009

Last year, 2009, Easter Monday was on 13 April. Already by then the flowering cherry trees in the Rest Garden were red with blossom and many other trees were speckled with bursts of bright green. The huge tree in the centre of the Rest Garden had not yet come into leaf, but was covered with thousands of silvery white sheaths out of which the greenness was about to emerge.

Same day this year

On the same day this year – 13 April 2010 – there were no leaves or blossom to be seen. The trees were still bare. The hard winter and cold winds had held everything back. The good news of course, is that the explosion of colours is still to come. It will be worth visiting the Rest Garden over the next couple of weeks to see it all happening.

Open to everyone

The Rest Garden is only three or four minutes walk up Dyke Road from the Clock Tower. Go up the hill until you reach (on your left) the junction of Dyke Road with Upper North Street. (St Nicholas Church is by now on your right.) Continue on a little further and the entrance to the Rest Garden is then on your left through the stone archway you can see in the photos. The Rest Garden is a public city park, open to everybody.

Comments about this page

  • You are right about the trees being held back by the winter, Bob. My cherry tree in the garden was about a month behind till it sprang into life with blossom this week! The bad news could be a short summer, however! I will make a point of visiting the garden on my next visit to Brighton.

    By Stefan Bremner-Morris (01/05/2010)
  • It looks lovely. As a child I used to play in this place supervised by my Mother as we lived nearby in Upper North St. I remember however that at times it seemed to me quite a sinister place, in particular during the winter months where it assumed in my imagination a haunted atmosphere that abides in my memory to this day.

    By Edward Castle-Herbert (04/07/2013)
  • Would like to know the relevance of publishing this picture.

    By Marc Stimson (18/05/2014)
  • Hi Marc. If you click on the word “Menu” above the photo, you will be able to answer that question yourself!

    By Alan Hobden (18/05/2014)
  • I can only assume that it is to encourage people into using a little-used open space in the city, the graveyard opposite St.Nicholas, across Dyke Road. The view is from inside the lovely green space.

    By Geoffrey Mead (19/05/2014)
  • Alan is perfectly right. This photo is part of a page about the Rest Garden which you will see by clicking on ‘Menu’. And if you are interested in the history surrounding this and St Nicholas’ church please look here.

    By Jennifer Drury: Website Editor (19/05/2014)

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