History of Eden Bridge Gardens.
Eden Bridge
Terrace.
In 1919, H.C. Marks the then City
Engineer for the Carlisle Corporation submitted plans for the
widening of Eden Bridge.
This narrow crossing of the River
Eden was the gateway to Scotland.
In 1927, Marks' successor Percy
Dalton submitted revised plans for a widening scheme which involved
the demolition of Eden Bridge Terrace, twelve houses arranged in an
'L' shape and a huddle of cottages adjacent to the 1815 Eden
Bridge. The houses on Eden Bridge Terrace were similar in
appearance to those on Devonshire Terrace, on the western side of
Stanwix Bank, and were perhaps built around the same
time.
In spite of being hampered by the
floods of 1931, the widening of the Eden Bridge was completed in
1932, and opened in October of that year.
The Eden Bridge
Scheme.
On the
site of the demolished Eden Terrace, it was proposed to construct a
new grand entrance to Rickerby Park. The scheme was used as a
means of providing work for the unemployed men of the
City.
The report of the 'Eden Bridge
Scheme', written prior to the gardens' opening in 1933, possibly by
Percy Dalton himself, describes very well how the the original
gardens once looked:
'Behind the terrace of old
houses known as Eden Terrace existed a high masonry retaining wall,
upholding part of Greenay Bank, which is richly wooded at this
spot. This wall has been used to form an effective background
to the garden scheme.
Immediately in front of the wall has been built a Rose
Pergola with square stone pillars and English oak trellis
roof. Next comes a formal terrace with grass plots, flower
beds and crazy flag paths flanked by two stone built Rest
Houses. These are constructed in the traditional English
style and roofed with old stone flags in a picturesque
manner. The Rest House nearest the Bridge is for general use
for anyone to shelter in if caught unawares in a shower, but the
other one is to be reserved as a retiring room for ladies only, and
a portion of it has been utilised to provide a lavatory for them, a
provision which is likely to be appreciated. A gentlemen's
convenience has been completely concealed in another corner of the
garden.
A remarkable feature of the
whole scheme has been the economy which has been effected by the
use of old materials. For instance, the white stone
forming the Rest Houses came from the demolition of the
old Eden Bridge parapets, whilst the stone slates came partly from
the demolition of old property standing on the site now occupied by
the Margaret Creighton Gardens, the remainder being obtained from
an old barn at Caldbeck.
The Terrace flanked by the
Rest Houses is supported by a redstone wall in the centre of which
is a very fine ornamental stone arched recess, the keystone of the
arch being formed with a carved lion's head which spouts water into
a small lily pond. The lily pond is flanked by two broad
flights of steps leading from the higher terrace. These steps
provide another example of the artistic use of old material, being
formed of broken of broken paving flags. The same material
has been used in all the footpaths on the square terraces.
The red sandstone used in the walls was taken from the old Gaol in
English Street.
Immediately in front of the
arched recess and lily pond is a large semi-circular terrace with
white crazed paved footpaths and grass plots surrounded by a very
fine yew hedge, which will be trimmed square when fully
grown. There is outside this a gradually sloping path leading
from the Eden Bridge on to the path which runs along the foot of
Greenay Bank through the King's Meadow into Rickerby Park.
This path can be approached from Eden Bridge either by a stone
staircase or by an inclined way formed for bathchairs and
perambulators. The white crazy paving is made from the old
concrete paving which formed the footpaths on Eden Bridge which
were broken up when the Bridge was improved.
The inclined path leading up
to Eden Bridge is bounded upon either side by a beautiful rock
garden formed of huge blocks of red sandstone laid so as to present
the appearance as nearly as possible of a natural outcrop of
rock. The rockery has been furnished with a choice variety of
rock plants supplied by Mr. Robt. Leslie of Blackwell. In the
midst of the rockery is a small dripping well where a few water
plants will be grown.
Above the main garden and approached by a broad flight of
of stone steps is situated a smaller garden adjoining Stanwix Bank,
on the north of the site. It is of very formal design and has
a lily pond as its chief central feature. In the midst of the
lily pond will be placed a charming figure of a child holding a
duck in its arms. Water will spout out of the duck's
mouth. The overflow from the lily pond has been utilised to
provide water for the dripping well already mentioned. The
extreme north of the garden has been finished off with another Rose
Pergola similar to the one in the large garden.
The whole scheme has been
carried out for £3,450. The estimated cost was £5,000 but the
saving effected has been due entirely to the use of the old
materials as previously explained.
The whole scheme has been
carried out by Mr. Percy Dalton, City Surveyor, who prepared all
the details from a sketch supplied by Mr. Prentice Mawson of London
and Lancaster. The craftsmanship is of a very high order and
great credit is due to Mr. W. Mark, Clerk of Works, and the workmen
under his charge. The men worked extremely well and,
considering some of them had not been engaged on a similar class of
of work for very many years, their efforts deserve great
praise.
The planting of the flower beds and shrubberies
has been supervised by Mr. Henry, the Corporation Parks
Superintendent.
Electric cables have been
laid for floodlighting the garden and it will be floodlighted on
the night of the opening day and for a week afterwards. The
Corporation will afterwards consider whether a permanent system of
floodlighting should be installed.
On Thursday 21st December 1933, the
Eden Bridge Gardens were opened by Councillor Eb Gray, Mayor of
Carlisle and the founder of the Parks Committee of the
Carlisle Corporation.