Right in front of you is the entrance to Northernhay Gardens. To spot it, just look for the impressive statue perched on a stone base-that’s The Deer Stalker! He’s crouched, muscles ready, as if he’s about to spring into action. The gardens spread out around him, with winding paths, colourful flowerbeds, and ancient stone walls rising in the background. You’ll often hear birds chattering above and might catch a whiff of fresh greenery if you let the breeze hit just right.
Alright, step into Northernhay Gardens and imagine yourself strolling through centuries of Exeter’s past. Can you believe you’re standing in England’s oldest public park? It all started back in 1612 when Exeter’s residents needed a little more fresh air and a little less city noise. This was their peaceful escape-except, of course, during the Civil War, when things got a bit dramatic and soldiers dug ditches where your feet are now.
But look around-these gardens have more history than most novels. The stones underfoot were first ripped from the ground by Romans to build the city walls, and if you look along the edge, you’ll spot the last bit of Saxon town wall in all of England. That’s not just a wall, that’s a piece of one-thousand-year-old mystery!
As the years ticked by, the gardens got flattened by war, replanted by townsfolk, and even dressed up with statues of Exeter’s Victorian heroes. The Deer Stalker here, he’s just waiting for someone to ask for directions-or maybe a selfie. There’s John Dinham nearby, ready with his philanthropic pose, and Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, keeping an eye on the city. Oh, and don’t trip over the ghosts of the hundreds of elms that once lined the avenue-Dutch Elm Disease got them in the 1900s but the gardens keep blooming, bright with flowers all year.
Find a bench, soak up the scene, and listen for the bandstand music if you’re lucky. Maybe close your eyes for a second and picture townsfolk in powdered wigs, soldiers with muddy boots, and kids running laughter through the same lanes. That’s Northernhay-a garden that remembers everything and is always changing, just like Exeter itself. Ready to wander on or stay for one more statue?
