Friends of Bebra Gardens

Working towards Green Flag status for Bebra Gardens in Knaresborough

Visitors... Bebra Gardens is a public park, open all days and at all times. Admission is free. The paddling pool can be used during June, July and August. Dogs are allowed in the gardens but must be on a lead at all times. Access to the gardens by wheelchair is possible, but due to slopes and steps it can be difficult or not possible. The main entrance is Brewerton Street, Knaresborough, HG5 8BB. The gardens are adjacent to the castle and town centre with some 2 hour parking in Brewerton Street. Four hour Pay & Display parking is a short walk away at Chapel Street, and you can park all day at Waterside car park for £1.20 on weekdays and £1.80 on weekends. Waterside is below the gardens with steps up to the gardens and the town. Wednesday is market day if you want to visit the market, but parking can be difficult. There is a farmers market in the market place on the third Sunday of each month, 9am till 2pm. As well as the gardens, castle and town centre you can enjoy a row on the river in summer months. There is also putting at the castle, and at Conyngham Hall you can enjoy tennis, putting, crazy golf and miniature golf (pitch & putt). All day parking is at Waterside, and at York Place, and at Conyngham Hall on Bond End. The bus station is near the market place and from there the gardens are a useful route down to the river. The railway station is below the town centre with a short but steep walk up to the market place. Enjoy Knaresborough!

Volunteer gardening days  - we are still resting for Christmas! Back in the gardens Monday 6th February.

We will be in the gardens Monday mornings from 9am    EVERYBODY WELCOME        We will NOT be in the gardens on Bank Holiday Mondays.

The beauty of Bebra Gardens is the blend of mature planting with our recent planting...
Rocks moved, planting complete and turf laid. This section was completed in Autumn 2009.  In flower 2010.	This Acer is a  wonderful mature attraction.
Junior Soldiers from Harrogate's Army Foundation College helped to dig out the large old shrubs       March 2009	Emptied, dug over and raked smooth!       March 2009
Re-planting April 2009	All planted up April 2009

In 2009 £3,470 from Yorkshire Forward and £7,900 from Awards for All paid for planting-plans and thousands of plants. 

THE 'MASTERPLAN' FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE GARDENS WAS FUNDED BY AWARDS FOR ALL

Following the Masterplan in 2007 we had detailed planting plans drawn up for various sections of the gardens.    Volunteers began planting near the paddling pool in 2008 and all the way around the edge of the gardens to the main gates in Brewerton Street. With lots of help we removed old shrubs, dug the soil over, incorporated compost and put in several thousand new plants. Next we emptied and re-planted three large area in the centre of the gardens, as well as doing lots of weeding and general tidying. In 2009 we removed a section of tarmac path and replaced with soil and turf to create a bigger, more impressive bed.  Various large rockery stones were moved to group them more logically.  We are grateful for funding from Harrogate Borough Council, Knaresborough Town Council, NYCC member budgets, Renaissance Knaresborough, Awards for All (Big Lottery), Yorkshire Forward, and Knaresborough Spa Baths Charity.

Volunteer gardening days ...

We are now resting for Christmas! Back in the gardens Monday 6th February. During 2012 we will be in the gardens most Monday mornings from 9am.....
phone for details  07885 543453   No volunteer gardening on Bank Holiday Mondays.

PLEASE COME AND JOIN US!

Our next monthly meeting (date to be decided)
at Knaresborough House 7pm.

There used to be a path here. Tarmac was removed, built up with soil, rocks re-positioned, hundreds of plants planted and turf laid -   all during September to November 2009	We emptied and replanted this area in winter 2007 to 2008

Bebra Gardens, Brewerton Street, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK.   HG5 8BB

Article of 8th Sept 2006 click here	Knaresborough Post article of 7th February 2007 click here	Knaresborough Post article Spring 2009

Junior soldiers helped us to remove a tarmac path            September 2009	A volunteer day on the big rockery July 2007.
Volunteers planted a lot of turf, September 2009	Hook-a-duck fun at our consultation event in the gardens          Spring Bank Holiday 2007.

Following installation of the new fence the beds were dug over and planting continued, February 2008.

 

Who we are
We are local people living in Knaresborough who have formed a group to improve this park in our town.

What we do
We have been meeting monthly since August 2005 and are a properly constituted group. We work closely with Harrogate Borough Council "Parks" and we are hoping to make Bebra Gardens a more vibrant and attractive part of the town of Knaresborough. There is a super new sign inside the main entrance. Some trees have been taken out around the entrance and near the rockery. The rockery is planted with alpines and around the entrance we have planted six hundred polyanthus to brighten the gardens during spring.

We put out to tender the job of designing a masterplan for a way forward to improve and develop all of the garden. Funding for the design came from the AWARDS FOR ALL grant which we were succesful with in 2007.. The Master Plan is complete and we have replanted around half of the gardens. We were not succesful with our 'Playful Ideas' grant application to install a childrens water play feature, and it proved difficult to envisage just how the necessary equipment could be incorporated in the gardens. We are now looking into ways to renovate and improve the paddling pool.

If you know where to stand you can enjoy this view from Bebra Gardens. We hope to create a viewing platform here.	Our chairman busily slicing up tarmac before removal of this path. September 2009
Pruning opened up some views. 2007	Volunteers began planting thousands of shrubs and herbaceous plants in the gardens, Spring 2008.

Website by Councillor Andrew Willoughby.

Links

Knaresborough Today

Knaresborough In Bloom

Knaresborough Nidd Gorge Conservation Group

Harrogate Group of Ramblers