A 19th C Pleasure Garden

Our site was developed as a pleasure garden by the Chester and Holyhead Railway Company in the 1840s. The garden was laid out with Cascade, Lime Avenue, and other features, to the design of Sir Joseph Paxton of Crystal Palace fame. It was to be part of Britannia Park, a Victorian extravaganza with Grand Hotel, conservatories and station on the main railway line. But due to funding problems, the whole scheme was abandoned and the site reverted to pasture and woodland.

The Botanic Garden

In the 1960s, the University bought the patch of woodland by the strait, together with the grassland above it, to develop a collection of plants for the Department of Botany. Parts of the old unimproved pasture now have a variety of management regimes to display the effects of these treatments on the native flora, while other parts have been developed to grow a wide range of wild and cultivated plants from all over the world that flourish in our mild climate with a relatively high rainfall and shelter from Atlantic gales. Several glasshouses give protection to less hardy species and a laboratory allows students and staff to examine plants on-site.

A feature of the garden is the diversity of habitats and soil types, supporting many native plants and animals. We encourage these by conserving a the range of grassland and woodland habitats. Part of the woodland is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). We also grow a collection of native plants from coastal and the mountains of Snowdonia and from coastal habitats in Wales. These provide opportunities for study and experimentation with flora and fauna from many ecological niches including freshwater and seashore.

A Garden for People

We plan to realise the potential of the Garden to provide enjoyment and information to the general public on how plants have evolved and how we interact with them. We envisage a visitor centre with catering and retail facilities, a new range of plant houses and a BioCentre supporting local businesses exploiting the findings of biological research.

Access

The outdoor garden can be visited during daylight hours. For group visits and access to glasshouses, contact the Curator.

Guided tours are available on open days and on special events organised by The Friends of Treborth Botanic Garden.

Dog Walking

The walking of dogs on leash is limited to certain pathways within the gardens; regulations on clean and safe disposal of waste must be adhered to.