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Central Gardens
Central Gardens at night
Central Gardens

Central Gardens

Central Gardens, located at 32 Henry Street, Hawthorn, was originally designed in a formal period style, but the overall style of the gardens has been drastically altered over the past 100 years.

The character of Central Gardens today is more like an open garden, with broad lawn areas and mulched shrub beds.

Central Gardens is in Hawthorn, bordered by Henry and William Streets, lying between Burwood Road and Liddiard Street, on a former brickyard site of the 1850s.

The garden was officially opened on 14 November 1900. By the 1920s it was an outstanding example of a formal period garden, featuring many annual beds, water elements and formal garden beds.

In the 1930s, the gardens began to decline, with many features such as pergolas and fountains removed and garden and path edging replaced by bluestone and concrete curbing. At this time, the gardens commenced to change in style to an open, informal garden. The gardens were reduced in size in the 1960s and 1970s for the expansion of the nursery and to create a site for the Council depot.

Major landscaping in 1997/98 saw the garden return to its original size, integrating old and new garden elements.

Central Gardens provide recreational space for a large population, including Community House visitors, students and residential users in small and large gatherings.

Central Gardens is the venue of an annual Hawthorn Fun Day and annual Christmas Carols Concert in December.

Created: 9 January 2006
Last Update: 9 January 2006