The Princes Gardens is an

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

in the town of

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. A short walk from the town centre on a site bordered by the town's High Street, Wellington Avenue and Princes Way (formerly Barrack Road) and opposite the

Princes Hall The Princes Hall in Aldershot, England is a 600-seat theatre / receiving house which presents a varied programme of music, ballet, comedy, pantomime. An additional three function rooms named the Princes Suite, the Edinburgh Suite and the Tichbor ...

theatre, it has been a public park since 1930. Today the park is managed by Rushmoor Borough Council.The Princes Gardens
on the Rushmoor Borough Council website

History

The park is on the site of the former Royal Engineers Yard where a small party of NCOs and men of the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

arrived in November 1853 making them the first soldiers to arrive in

, a fact commemorated on a modest plaque in the ground behind the sculpture of the horse and Bailey bridge. These engineers were responsible for surveying and making the preliminary arrangements for

Aldershot Camp Aldershot Garrison is a major garrison in South East England, between Aldershot and Farnborough in Hampshire. The garrison was established when the War Department bought a large area of land near the village of Aldershot, with the objective of ...

. At this time the area was heathland with the only building in sight being the Union Poor House, the former home of the Tichborne family. As the Camp was established and grew, the Royal Engineers expanded their initial small collection of huts and this area became the Royal Engineers Yard. It continued to be used for this purpose until 1929 when the military huts were demolished. The area that is now Princes Gardens was purchased from the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet ...

by Aldershot Borough Council in 1930 at a cost of £16,500 and the site cleared. Over the next decade two cinemas were built at the lower end of the site, the Empire and Ritz cinemas, while the upper end was used as the Princes Gardens with a car park between it and the cinemas. The ''Aldershot Gazette and Military News'' welcomed the new Princes Gardens which had turned land that had been “an almost desolate waste” into “a beauty spot” which would be “more restful to the eye than the old barren promontory” left after the removal of the Royal Engineers’ Yard. On 5 July 1945 troops of the Canadian Army Overseas gathered in the gardens before smashing the windows of local shops on the second evening of the Aldershot riot. An ornamental fountain was unveiled in the gardens in 1954 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Army in Aldershot. This was later removed.

Today

Today Princes Gardens is a venue for public events including local celebrations and public concerts. It has a number of ornamental flower beds with grassed areas and seating. In celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Rushmoor Borough Council erected a permanent bandstand in 2012 where brass bands, dancers and solo artists regularly perform. The design was chosen by local people and the bandstand was officially opened in 2012 during the town's Victoria Day Jubilee Celebration Victoria Day Jubilee Celebration. Central to the park is a sculpture of a charging horse crossing a section of

Bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, Prefabrication, pre-fabricated, Truss Bridge, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British Empire in World War II, British for military use during the World War II, Second World War and saw ...

titled “The end is where we start from” which was unveiled in 1994 as part of an Older Urban Area Regeneration scheme and which represents the link between the civilian town of Aldershot and the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

. Princes Gardens also has a refurbished cast iron wheel on a blue pearl granite plinth which was erected in celebration of the 100th anniversary of

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

together with other plaques and memorials celebrating the site's historic background. In 2010 the Princes Gardens Surgery was built on part of the lower section of Princes Gardens. Princes Gardens features in the novel ''Maralinga'' by

Judy Nunn Judith Anne Nunn ( AM) (born 13 April 1945), (also published under the pen name of Judy Bernard-Waite), is an Australian former actress, and author of both adult and children's fiction titles. She has collaborated with writers Patricia Bernard ...

The Airborne Soldier

On 6 July 2019 a life-size statue called 'The Airborne Soldier' was unveiled in the park. The figure stands on a base of stone from the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...

, a gift from the people and Government of the Falkland Islands. Sculpted by Amy Goodman, the statue is located in Aldershot in recognition of the more than 50 years association the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces had with the town and people of Aldershot from 1946 to 2000. The statue is placed looking towards the former Parachute Regiment Depot in the

Military Town Military town or military city may refer to: * Amsar, a type of Arabic military town established during the Arabic expansion * Canaba, a type of town that emerged as a civilian settlement around a ''castrum'' in Ancient Rome *Cantonment *Cantonment ...

. More than 2,000 former and serving Airborne Forces soldiers led by the Band of the Parachute Regiment paraded at the celebrations followed by a drumhead service in Princes Gardens.

Statue of Rifleman Kulbir Thapa VC

On 25 September 2021 a life-size bronze statue of

Kulbir Thapa Kulbir Thapa Magar VC (15 December 1888 – 3 October 1956) was the first Nepalese Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonw ...

carrying a wounded British soldier from the

Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both ...

off the battlefield during

World War One World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

was unveiled in Princes Gardens in

. Thapa was a 26-year-old

Rifleman A rifleman is an infantry soldier armed with a rifling, rifled long gun. Although the rifleman role had its origin with 16th century hand cannoneers and 17th century musketeers, the term originated in the 18th century with the introduction o ...

in the 2nd Battalion,

3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles The 3rd Gorkha Rifles or Third Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 3 GR is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It was originally a Gurkha Gorkha regiments (India), regiment of the British Indian Army formed in 1815. This regiment recruit mainly Magars an ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

when, despite having been wounded himself, he found a wounded soldier of

The Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both ...

behind the first-line German trench (believed to be a 20-year-old soldier from Melton Mowbray by the name of Bill Keightley). Although urged to save himself, the Gurkha stayed with the wounded man all day and night. Early next day he brought in two wounded Gurkhas, one after the other. He then went back, and, in broad daylight, fetched the British soldier, carrying him most of the way under enemy fire. The memorial was commissioned by the Greater Rushmoor Nepali Community to highlight the bond between Nepal and Great Britain dating back more than two centuries. Funded by private donations, the £180,000 statue was created by Hampshire-based sculptor Amy Goodman. It was unveiled to coincide with the day on 25 September 1915 when Thapa performed the heroic action which was to win him the first Victoria Cross to be awarded to a Gurkha soldier.Memorial honouring Aldershot's Gurkha history unveiled
BBC News, 25 September 2021Crowds turn out for unveiling of statue to honour Gurkha soldiers
ITV News, 25 September 2021

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Princes Gardens, Aldershot Urban public parks Buildings and structures in Aldershot Aldershot Parks and open spaces in Aldershot Parks and open spaces in Hampshire

History

Today

The Airborne Soldier

Statue of Rifleman Kulbir Thapa VC

See also

References