Lavender Bloom

Many of you visit the Coronation Garden situated at the north side of the Park but few know the origin of the name. In 1953, the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne, it was laid out as a scented garden for visually impaired people and was known as the Coronation Garden for the blind. As time passed the fragrant shrubs and sweet-smelling flowers died down, and the circular garden has been left abandoned and overgrown for years.

Fortunately, in May 2022, the park was the lucky recipient of both the Brighton and Hove Jubilee Planting Scheme and a substantial donation from Friends of Preston Park, which enabled the purchase of lavender bushes and the start of the replanting of the Coronation Garden in keeping with its original purpose. Volunteers worked hard to clear old plants and invasive weeds and now you can admire the lovingly-planted lavender alley. We aim to incorporate more aromatic shrubs in the near future and we hope our planting scheme will provide a good place for all to sit and enjoy.