Candie Gardens

The gardens were originally those of Candie House, and became a public park in 1894.^[1]

The Upper Gardens feature panoramic views over the islands of Herm and Sark.^[1] Two statues of note within the Upper Gardens are those of Queen Victoria and Victor Hugo.^[1] The statue of Victoria was erected in 1900 to mark her Diamond Jubilee; it was cast in bronze by C B Birch and is a replica of those in Aberdeen and the Thames Embankment,^[1] and was cast by the same foundry, Hollingshead & Burton of Thames Ditton.^[2] The statue of Hugo was erected in 1914, and was a gift of the French Government as thanks for the hospitality shown towards the writer during his exile on Guernsey.^[1] It was sculpted by Jean Boucher from stone, mounted on a limestone base, which, in turn, sits on a block of Jaonneuse granite.^[3]

The former Candie House is now the Priaulx Library.^[1][4] The Upper Gardens also feature the Guernsey Museum and an adjacent café, in the former bandstand.^[1] The museum was established in 1978, replacing the former Pavilion, at which The Beatles played in 18 August 1963.^[5] The Beatles performed two shows on the day, at 7pm and 9.15pm, were their only ones on the island, and were promoted by Baron Pontin.^[6][7]

The Lower Gardens feature a rare surviving example of a Victorian Public Flower Garden, which was restored in 1998-99.^[1] There are also two surviving greenhouses in the Lower Gardens, both dating from 1792 and 1793.^[1][8]