Bath Gardens is the centrepiece of Bakewell, overlooking Rutland Square. The gardens received the prestigious Green Flag Award for the first time in 2021 and has now received it for a fourth year running in 2024.
The Gardens are immaculately maintained by the District Council's parks team. They have won the East Midlands in Bloom Green Space Award for Horticultural Excellence within Parks and the Judges' Award for Quality and Display.
Bath Gardens has been described as a 'Jewel' and 'Oasis' to escape the busy market town Bakewell, it's an ideal location for relaxing with a coffee and a picnic.
Facilities and features
The facilities and features in Bath Gardens include:
- Spectacular flower beds, including pollinator friendly
- War Memorial
- Garden of Remembrance
- Bowling Green (must be a club member to access)
- Sundial
The nearest toilets are located just a 5 minute walk at Granby Road.
Location
The main entrance to Bath Gardens is located opposite the roundabout on the A619/A6 interchange overlooking Rutland Square.
Car parking
There are several car parks in Bakewell, there nearest car park is the Market Place:
Address - Market Place, Bakewell, DE45 1HGHistory
The history of Bath Gardens goes back to the Roman times when they created a thermal bath fed by a mineral springs, temperature of 16.C. In 1697 a bath house was erected over the spring and was popular place to bathe up until 1767 when the modern baths in Buxton became more fashionable. The Duke of Rutland restored the bath house and laid out the site as a botanical gardens but they still couldn’t compete with the rival baths in Buxton and Matlock. The baths are still there but they are no longer fed by the spring.
In 1922 the Duke of Rutland sold the Bath house and gardens to Bakewell Urban District Council which then came to Derbyshire Dales District Council in 1974.
In 1946-2016 Bath House was rented out to Bakewell branch of Royal British Legion who it changed its name to Haig House. The area adjacent was developed into a garden of remembrance which is still looked after by the RBL.
