The Gardens are located within a few minutes walk of the town centre with facilities including tennis courts, a refreshment kiosk and a play area.  The Borough Gardens were laid out to a plan by William Goldring of Kew, and were opened to the public on 30th July 1896.  Although never closed the Gardens were ‘opened' again on 7th May, 2007 by oscar-winning local resident Julian Fellowes to mark the completion of a £1.4m plus restoration and refurbishment project funded in part by a grant of almost £1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  If you would like to know more about the work of the HLF visit their website at http://www.hlf.org.uk/.

The Gardens are located within a few minutes walk of the town centre and are wheelchair accessible from all entrances which are located on the corner between Albert Road and Princes Street, Cornwall Road, Bowling Alley Walk and West Walks.

The Gardens are open every day from dawn until dusk.

Facilities

Play area

There is a fully enclosed play area which has facilities for all age groups. The play equipment includes baby and standard swings, rockers, mini spinner, two different types of slide, multi play structure and seesaw.

For warmer days there is also a splash pool!

Adult Fitness Equipment

Near to the main (Albert Road) entrance to the Gardens is a range of adult fitness equipment which gives everyone the opportunity to keep fit without needing to pay a gym subscription - provided, of course, that you don't mind people looking at you while you are exercising and can stand the weather!

Tennis Courts

There are four tennis courts open all year round and are available for public use at a very reasonable charge. Further details including how to book a court and the cost can be found by clicking here.

Bowling Green

The use of the bowling green located at the southern end of the Gardens has been discontinued following the winding-up of The Gardens Bowling Club.  We are presently considering what to do with it in the future so that it enhances the facilities available in the Gardens and benefits as many people as possible.  We shall update you when we have made a decision.

Community Room

The refurbished Borough Gardens House has a community facility located on the ground floor. There is a large room equipped with tables and chairs together with a kitchen and toilets and can be hired by the community for a multitude of uses. For further information on hire charges and how to book the room click on the 'Community Room Hire' button to the left of this screen.

Refreshment Kiosk

The refreshment kiosk located at the northern end of the Gardens sells a range of light snacks and drinks at a very competitive price. It is open every day in the summer and at weekends during the winter.  The kiosk is operated as a community training enterprise by a consortium of local charities headed by Rethink.  For more information about Rethink visit their website at http://www.rethink.org/.  If you want to know more about the kiosk - or perhaps to help with it - phone Mary Stevens on 01305 250863 or let us know by filling in the on-line form in the 'Contact Us' area and we'll pass your details on to them.