Nozernhay Gardens are located in the city of Exeter, County Devon, in the United Kingdom. They are located on the north side of Rougemont Castle. It is the oldest public park in England, it was opened in 1612 as a place for the residents of Exeter to go walking Exeter.
The site was originally quarries where the Romans quarried stone for the the city walls. Remains of the Roman fortifications can still be seen in the park and the the only surviving section of city wall in England built under the Saxons.
The park was severely damaged during the Civil War in 1642, when a large ditch was dug to protect the city. Shortly after the Restoration, in 1664, the city rebuilt the park, planted hundreds of elm trees and laid out paths, sprinkled with gravel.
In 1860, the park underwent a major redesign and reconstruction. Monuments and statues appeared, including Stephens' famous Deer Hunter Stephens. Since then, the park has maintained a Victorian landscape style with beautiful trees, shrubs and marvellous flowerbeds.
In the mid-1900s, the ancient elms unfortunately became ill with "Dutch Elm Disease Dutch Elm Disease" (a fungal disease) and had to be cut down.
