Felixstowe Seafront Gardens and Heritage Trail

The Grade II listed gardens were created around a hundred years ago, reflecting the late Victorian fashion for visiting coastal locations in pursuit of improved health and relaxation and helped the town earn its nickname “The Garden Resort of East Anglia.” 

Natural springs emerging along the cliffs, together with the proximity to the beach, led to the development of the site as a pleasure ground centred around a pump room where visitors could take the spa waters.

Today, the interconnecting gardens stretch for almost a kilometre, with many original features surviving and the historic path layout remaining largely unchanged. The stepped paths and terraces offer an attractive and practical way to move between the seafront and the town above, with the Pram Walk offering a gentler access route.

To help understand more about the gardens, follow the Heritage Trail, and uncover a wealth of historic features, structures, and colourful, unusual planting which together tell the wider story of the Seafront Gardens. There is also a handy map on each sign telling you where you are, with suggestions on where to head next.

Highlights include the Town Hall Garden with its lovely fountain, the Wishing Well and Arch Cascade. Head up the Serpentine Steps to the Hexagonal Shelter for stunning views across the bay and out to sea or take a seat in the Round Shelter, originally constructed around 1910. There’s also a Rose Garden, Round Pond, Dripping Well and Ivy Terrace to discover.

Picture credits: James Crisp Photography