History
First design was probably by Andrew Clarke, the Surveyor-General of Victoria, in 1854 or 1855. Clement Hodgkinson adapted the design in 1857 to allow for its intersection by the St Kilda railway line, Melbourne.
Development of the gardens occurred during 1864-1870 with plans by Clement Hodgkinson in 1869 showing an overall plan of the reserve, including the older tree plantings, the path system at the western end and the circular theme of the paths design at the eastern end.
The Albert Park Bowls Club was established in the park in 1873.
The gardens were rejuvenated during 1903-1910 with much of the original landscaping being retained.
In 2004, a Canary Island Palm was removed suffering from fusarium wilt otherwise known as Panama Disease. In 2005 six significant trees were lost after a wild storm.
The improved appearance of the gardens over recent years has been due to local government projects required as part of a Conservation Management Plan (CMP). The creation of mulched beds around significant trees has improved their condition and large herbaceous beds have been restored using heritage plant stock. The most obvious works include the reconstruction of the western half of the path network along accurately plotted heritage alignments using the original orange-coloured, granitic, sand surface and steel edging. This included the installation of an on-site stormwater dissipation system, which now uses surface runoff to help irrigate lawn areas and minimise water usage. The perimeter hedge around the gardens uses original Lonicera heritage plant stock sourced from Dame Elisabeth Murdoch's 'Cruden Farm.' This hedge will grow to a height of approximately 700mm. The CMP and further detailed historical investigations have led to the design of entry treatments for each of the entrances to the Gardens. Composed of bluestone walls and timber posts, the new entrances have been accurately designed to closely resemble the original appearance and layout of the old entrances. Reconstruction of the entry treatments in the western half of the Gardens commenced earlier this year. The northern and southern border beds have been planted with heritage plant stock in accordance with planting designs prepared by Jill Orr-Young.
Read more about this topic: St Vincent Gardens
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