Tucked beside the High Street within Christchurch's Conservation Area, Druitt Gardens offers a quiet stretch of woodland and lawn right in the town centre. It stands apart from the busier seafront spots as a genuine retreat, a "garden of rest and bird sanctuary" given to the town by the Druitt family, and entry remains free throughout the year.
History
The gardens started life as the private grounds of a house James Druitt had built in 1844, which was later expanded with ornamental paths and a greenhouse. The property passed down the family line to Herbert Druitt, a respected local antiquarian, and afterwards to his sister Charlotte. On Charlotte's death in the 1940s, she bequeathed the grounds to the people of Christchurch in 1946, specifically intending them to become a garden of rest and bird sanctuary. The Town Centre Conservation Area encompasses the site, which also contains a Scheduled Ancient Monument possibly dating from Saxon times.
What to see
Mature trees and seasonal planting, snowdrops and bluebells among them, line the paths through the year, and benches offer a place to sit and watch the birds that give the gardens their name: woodpeckers, nuthatches, robins and tree creepers turn up regularly. A small Wildlife Education Area sits behind Druitt Hall, complete with a dipping pond where frogs spawn every spring, a hit with children keen to examine pond life close up. Christchurch Town Council shares maintenance duties with the volunteer-led Friends of Druitt Gardens, who also put on regular work parties and talks for anyone wanting to get more involved.
Christchurch Priory and the Quay are only a short walk away, so the gardens fit easily into a day spent exploring the town, find further suggestions in our guide to things to do in Bournemouth.