After walking up a fairly steep road, admiring the marble all the way, we got to the park which is quite a busy place, very well used by joggers and all sorts, like most parks. Duck ponds are always popular with the kids and they have two rather exotic black swans in residence there.
Unfortunately this one had a limp.
Ferrera Park is 80,000 square metres in area and it was the private park of the Ferrera Marquesses’ family until it was finally bought by the Town Hall for public use. King Juan Carlos I inaugurated it in May 1976. It is an English/British style park.
There’s a separate area through a gateway leading into this topiary garden which made me feel very much at home, all clipped box hedges, roses, pelargoniums and lavender.
In fact I think that the large stone building in the background was a convent and this would have been a medicinal garden in earlier times.
It’s a really beautiful part of the park and we had it all to ourselves, there was a sign at the entrance and from a distance we could only read a large NO so we thought maybe you weren’t allowed in but as we got closer we saw that it said NO DOGS, but maybe it put people off going in. I’d have hated to have missed it, and I must admit it was nice to be able to take photos with no people around.
It looks lovely, Katrina, and so peaceful. How nice to have the history behind it too. I’ve never considered myself a fan of formal gardens and topiary but after Lanhydrock I’m a convert! I would love spending time in this park 🙂
Sandra,
I fell in love with topiary when we visited Ludwigsburg in Germany, but I could never have a garden like that, I prefer something more natural outside my back door!
You are quite right of course, Katrina: I certainly wouldn’t want it at home! But I have learned to appreciate it elsewhere 🙂
Sandra,
I definitely wouldn’t want to do all the work involved in the clipping.
What a nice park and a pretty garden!