Our green and pleasant town
Somerset Life|May 2020
CATHERINE COURTENAY takes a look at Taunton’s green spaces and discovers a legacy that’s continuing into the future
CATHERINE COURTENAY
Our green and pleasant town

It’s a shopping destination, it has restaurants, cafes and entertainment, it has a fascinating history and heritage, but Taunton is also home to award-winning parks and green spaces.

Somerset’s county town has an enviable horticultural heritage. Close to the centre of the town lies Vivary Park, so named because in Medieval times it was the site of a fish farm, or vivarium, for the priory and castle.

Although it didn’t become a public park until it was sold to the council in 1894, it had previously been used for various events, including the first Taunton Flower Show in 1851.

At that time the land was owned by Mr Kinglake of neighbouring Wilton House, who’d bought the site in 1810. In her book, Taunton Flower Show, author Anne Leamon says that previously, ‘the public were able to stroll through the fields and Mr Kinglake allowed the area to be used for public entertainment and cricket matches at times’.

That first flower show at Vivary saw a large marquee set up to house the various plants, flowers and fruit. Anne says that the show, which was attended by nurserymen from the surrounding area, including Mr Kelway at Langport, opened at 1 pm with an admission charge of 1s. By the end of the day, the grand sum of £16 had been raised.

The show has continued to this day, in Vivary Park, making it the oldest and longest-running flower show in the country.

After it was sold by Mr Kinglake to the council in 1894, Vivary was laid out as a formal park with the planting undertaken by the famed Veitch & Son of Exeter. It provided 1,325 plants and shrubs at a cost of £128.10s, reports Anne. The original layout included the front gates, bandstand and a shelter which can still be seen. In 1907 the park’s fountain was unveiled, a memorial to the late Queen Victoria.

Denne historien er fra May 2020-utgaven av Somerset Life.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May 2020-utgaven av Somerset Life.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SOMERSET LIFESe alt
Up on the Down
Somerset Life

Up on the Down

Try this easy-to-follow Exmoor walk with SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
Shop until you drop
Somerset Life

Shop until you drop

It’s Somerset’s county town, it’s the place to go for the big shops, but Taunton is also home to a thriving independent scene, discovers CATHERINE COURTENAY

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
Creatures of the night
Somerset Life

Creatures of the night

Have you ever had something swoop past your ear, almost unseen? You may have had a brief encounter with a bat, says BERNARD BALE

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
Bowled over
Somerset Life

Bowled over

Now that we can return to skittle and bowling alleys - albeit with new rules BERNARD BALE reveals that the sport of bowling has many Somerset links

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
Trackway through time
Somerset Life

Trackway through time

In the Somerset Levels SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE discovers a place where our Neolithic heritage rubs shoulders with the present day

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
SAVING THE SPLENDOUR OF EXMOOR
Somerset Life

SAVING THE SPLENDOUR OF EXMOOR

The splendour of Exmoor National Park may appear timeless and untroubled, but a new book reveals the long and often bitter struggle conservationists faced to save the landscape from the twin threats of afforestation and the plough

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
Decorative art
Somerset Life

Decorative art

Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
Charity starts at home
Somerset Life

Charity starts at home

How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2020
Somerset Life

Blooming brilliant

Will and Lauren Holley purchased a four-acre field in Somerset, converted it into a nursery, opened during lockdown and now their perennial plants are flying off the shelves. JULIE HARDING meets the go-getting couple

time-read
10 mins  |
November 2020
Age-old advice
Somerset Life

Age-old advice

Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020