Hannah Worthington: Princess Gardens Torquay was landscaping on a grand scale - and for a purpose

Let us promenade in the park. We will perambulate along the pier and greet those in whose society it is proper to be seen. We will traverse the lawn to view the royal devices in floriculture and the handsome fountain. We will take in the fair prospect of Tor Bay that is afforded us from this vantage.

Costing some £50,000 in the 1890s, the scheme that included the creation of Torquay’s Princess Gardens, on ground reclaimed from the sea, would be equivalent to over £8million in today’s money – this was landscaping on a grand scale and for a purpose.

The plans to lay out the public gardens were part of a wider scheme that included creating a sheltered outer harbour.

The town had been developing as a fashionable seaside resort since the late 18th century and as it continued to become more popular there was a need for further facilities to provide for visitors.

Princess Gardens has changed little over the 130-something years since it was devised, perhaps reflecting that the demands on and use of this space continue to match its original intended purpose – something which is not the case for many of our parks and green spaces.

We need our surroundings to provide so much these days: a place to exercise, look after our wellbeing, help our children learn and grow, entertain us, bring our community together, walk our dogs, spend time in nature, provide refuge for wildlife, mitigate effects of climate change... the list is long.

And while the reasons for wanting to change aspects of a site’s original purpose may range from economic, to aesthetic, heritage, environmental, or social, these can also be the motivations for preservation.

It is fair to say that our green spaces are being pulled in all directions with no easy solutions. It is only by working together that we can work out what needs to stay the same, what needs to change and how to make this happen.

For more information about helping care for Torbay green spaces, contact Hannah Worthington by email hannah.worthington@swisco.co.uk or call 07747 616 075.