Mall Gardens

Mall Gardens are small green areas in the centre of Clifton Village, surrounded by iconic Clifton townhouses.

Originally private gardens for residences, they are now enjoyed by everyone. The active resident’s group – Mall Gardens Residence’s Association (MGRA) and the Clifton & Howells Improvement Society (CHIS), help look after the gardens. Mall Gardens are bordered by plants and shrubbery, making it feel very private in an otherwise busy area.

It’s a good spot for lunch or a picnic with your pooch. There are benches dotted around to sit on.

 

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The history

‘The Mall Gardens were originally private gardens that were laid out around the same time as the construction of the adjacent residences in the late eighteenth century. There have been a number of key changes to the gardens over the years. The initial 25 houses around the upper gardens were published in 1826 and showed two rows of trees in the top garden, eight on each side.

The two rows of houses were extended in the mid-1800s, forming the middle garden. A writer un the Bristol Times and Mirror in 1883 remembers looking towards the Mall from Sion Hill in the 1820s at “green fields and garden ground… no carriage roadway, now the site of the West Mall and Caledonia Place”.

The gardens fell into disrepair around the time of the First World War, when many landlords were absent. Railings were then used for scrap during the Second World War. Trees and shrubs were neglected; lawns were weed infested. Remaining residents made arrangments with Bristol City Council to take on the care of the gardens from which point the gardens have been public.’

– Bristol City Council