Crowds descend upon Hazelbank Park for a ‘Glorious Glimpse’ of the Coronation Garden

The show-stopping garden designed by Diarmuid Gavin to commemorate the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla has attracted much attention from both local residents and visitors who flocked to the site on Saturday for a first viewing of this Crowning Glory.

The Coronation Garden is a floral tapestry with classical architecture style, planted in a pollinator friendly and sustainable way reflecting some of the great loves of His Royal Highness King Charles III. The ornate three floor pavilion topped by a crown, and a mirror ball will treat visitors to a musical performance of dancing topiary and spinning conical trees every fifteen minutes.

The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Alderman Stephen Ross was there to welcome the first visitors to the Garden, he said; 

“This exclusive Coronation Garden will draw visitors from far and wide to our Borough. It gives me great pleasure to see first-hand the reaction of the visitors, they are enthralled by its beauty and uniqueness. I am extremely proud that the Council has created something as spectacular as the Coronation Garden, a fitting legacy to King Charles and Queen Camilla.”

Some of the guests attending the Coronation Garden on Saturday also got to meet garden designer Diarmuid Gavin who was on site for part of the day, he said;

“This has been a job in a lifetime, this garden is whimsical, a place that suspends belief, a place that will make people smile. I am so honoured and thankful to the Council for the opportunity to create something so magnificent. Their forward thinking and desire to create a more sustainable environment for the future and their ambitious plans for a Botanical Borough is a great example of their civic leadership.”

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council received £100K support from the UK Government Levelling-Up Fund for this project.