Town Parks and Gardens

When you think of a seaside town, do you picture sandy shores and bustling esplanades, or do you imagine finding a world of ancient trees and hidden gardens just steps from the sea? In Sidmouth, you don't have to choose. This remarkable place is home to the UK's only "civic arboretum," a unique concept where the entire Sid Valley is treated as one vast, living collection of trees. Every park, public garden, and even the hedgerows managed by the town contribute to a townscape rich in natural history.

This article will guide you beyond the coastline to explore two particular jewels within this valley-wide garden: the vibrant, globe-trotting collection of Blackmore Gardens and the ancient, story-filled Parish Churchyard.

Nestled in the heart of the town, Blackmore Gardens is a central and wonderfully accessible part of Sidmouth's tree trail. More than just a park, it serves as a curated gallery of global species, where trees from across the world stand shoulder to shoulder, telling stories of faraway climates and landscapes.

As you wander, see if you can spot the distinctive fan-shaped leaves of the Chusan Palm. Many assume it’s a tropical native, but its hardiness comes from its true home, not a tropical beach but the mountains of China. It grows near the stately Canary Island Palm, which brings an exotic flair from the Atlantic. Nearby stands the Ulmo, a beautiful tree from Chile whose nectar-rich flowers are prized by honey producers in its native land.

Keep an eye out for the ornamental Judas-tree, a member of the Pea family whose brilliant pink flowers bloom at Easter. According to myth, the flowers are said to be the blood of Judas, who hanged himself from such a tree. You might also spot the unusual trifoliate orange, aptly known as the "Barbed Wire Bush." A hardy citrus relative from northern China, it has curious, furry fruit that is too bitter to eat raw but makes a fascinating marmalade. Before you leave, find the Tulip Tree. A botanically primitive relative of the Magnolia, its ancestors are found in fossils dating back 70 million years—a true living fossil. And don’t miss the formal row of pleached Large-leaved Limes, a fine example of an ornamental pruning technique that was once fashionable in the grand gardens of Europe.

This diverse collection provides a vital habitat right in the town centre. The beautiful flowers of the Ulmo provide rich nectar for insects, while the edible, strawberry-like fruits of trees like the Kousa Dogwood add to the garden's late-season interest, sustaining wildlife within our urban landscape.

Churchyard

The grounds of St Giles and St Nicholas (Sidmouth Parish Church) are managed with a strategy that balances its role as a sacred site with its potential as a "Living Churchyard." As of early 2026, the ecology of the churchyard is well-documented through recent surveys by the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group (SVBG) and the Devon Living Churchyards Project.

Recent botanical surveys (June 2024–2026) have identified the Parish Church grounds as a significant urban biodiversity haven.

• Species Record: A recent survey recorded 60 distinct wildflower species in the churchyard. This is part of a wider project that identified over 140 species across all Sid Valley churchyards.

• Specialist Flora: One of the most notable ecological features is the Water Figwort, which is unusually thriving in the churchyard despite being more common in damp meadows.

• Vertical Gardens: The eastern wall of the churchyard is a designated "mini-ecosystem." Made of limestone, it hosts a significant colony of Wall Rue ferns. These were first recorded in the same spot 175 years ago, demonstrating remarkable ecological continuity.

• Lichen and Mosses: The churchyard is a prime site for "non-vascular" plants. Silky Wall Feather Moss and a variety of crustose lichens grow on the older gravestones. These are protected under a management protocol that forbids "cleaning" of stones that would destroy these slow-growing colonies.

• Bird and Bat Life: The mature trees and the church tower itself are integrated into local wildlife corridors. The grounds are monitored for Pipistrelle bats, which use the stone crevices for roosting, and the tower is a known site for swift conservation.

• Invertebrate Refuges: Managed "deadwood piles" are maintained in the quieter, shady corners of the yard to support beetles and fungi, moving away from the Victorian ideal of a "perfectly tidy" graveyard.

The churchyard participates in the Devon Living Churchyards Project (managed by the Diocese of Exeter). The management plan includes:

• The "Three-Tier" Mowing Regime:

  • Short: Neatly mown areas around paths and the church entrance for accessibility.

  • Medium: Grass kept at ~10cm to allow small wildflowers like daisies and speedwells to bloom.

  • Long: Seasonal meadow areas left uncut from spring until July/August to provide habitat for pollinators and allow seeds to set.

• Zero Chemical Policy: The grounds are managed without the use of pesticides or herbicides to protect the delicate lichen populations on the headstones and wall surfaces.

• Count on Nature: The church participates in the national "Churches Count on Nature" week every June, using citizen science to update the iNaturalist map of the Sid Valley.

• Climate Resilience: Current planting updates prioritise native species that can withstand the increasingly dry Devon summers, helping the churchyard act as a "cool refuge" within the town centre.

Blackmore Gardens: 

As the former estate of Blackmore Hall, these gardens are managed more as a "botanical collection" and a key link in the Sidmouth Civic Arboretum.  The gardens are managed under the Civic Arboretum Strategy, where every tree is catalogued. Recent management involves "Crown Cleaning" of mature specimens (e.g., the Monterey Cypress) to remove dieback, ensuring they remain safe habitats for tree-dwelling insects and bats.

The old lime-mortar walls of the Blackmore Gardens are intentionally managed to protect mosses, ferns, and lichens. Council staff are instructed to avoid "over-cleaning" these walls, as they are a rare urban niche for species like Pellitory-of-the-wall.

The grass areas near the bowling green are managed under a "Waxcap Protocol." Because rare Waxcap fungi (indicators of ancient, undisturbed soil) are found here, mowing heights are strictly controlled in the autumn, and chemical fertilisers are prohibited.

As the primary venue for Sea Fest and the Jazz & Blues Festival, the 2026 management plan includes "Ground Protection Mandates" to prevent soil compaction, which is vital for the health of the tree roots and the soil's drainage capacity

centuries of history are watched over by an incredible collection of yew trees. Following a long-established English tradition, these sombre evergreens create a sense of timeless peace and permanence. Most of the yews you see here were likely planted in the 1880s after the graveyard was closed, making their impressive size a testament to their vigour.

To truly appreciate the collection, start at the lych gate, where you can compare two different species standing side-by-side. On the left is a Japanese Yew, identifiable by its taller stature, fresher green colour, and leaves that twist distinctively upwards. Beside it on the right stands a squatter, darker English Yew. Once you have a feel for these two, you’ll be able to spot the third type within the grounds: the Irish Yew. This "mutant form" of the native yew is easy to identify with its multi-stemmed habit, growing with multiple shoots reaching upwards from the base, its leaves arranged in tightly packed whorls.

These ancient trees hold fascinating secrets. The tradition of planting them in churchyards may even be a holdover from pagan times, when yews were considered magical. They are famously poisonous in all parts—leaves, seeds, and roots—except for the fleshy red cup, or aril, that surrounds the seed cone. This sweet aril attracts birds, which eat it and disperse the seed safely. As you explore, look in the back corner for one particular English Yew; planted too close to a Victorian gravestone generations ago, it is now slowly devouring the stone.

The yews are not alone. The churchyard also shelters other significant plants, including the fragrant Myrtle, whose flowers and oil have been prized since antiquity, and a splendid variegated female European Holly. This tree produces a large crop of berries that provide a crucial winter food source for blackbirds, thrushes, and visiting redwings.

Blackmore Gardens

Blackmore Gardens is one of Sidmouth's main green spaces. Dogwood is a prominent feature of Blackmore Gardens, providing a vibrant backdrop with its bright red wood, particularly notable in autumn and winter. One will also find a n  umber of 'cryptogam' species; ferns, mosses.and liverworts, lichens and fungi.

Parish Churchyard

The Parish Churchyard is a place where you can find a wide range of lichen species on gravestones and walls. The churchyard wall alongside Church Lane in Sidmouth is an old wall with lime mortar in the joints. Unlike walls made with modern Portland cement mortar, which is a harsher environment, many plants can colonise lime mortar. Pellitory of the Wall can be found growing on the gate pillar of the churchyard wall alongside Church Lane. This plant thrives in the gap between the base of walls and footpaths where its roots are in soil. There are several Yew trees in the churchyard along with a fine holly; their berries providing a winter food source for birds. You will also notice the significant number of grey squirrels!

Bowling Green: 

A colony of mixed waxcap fungi can be found on the grass beside the bowling greens in town in autumn and is a significant site for such fungi in the area. 

Fortfield:

The Fortfield atrea features a path that runs alongside a bank here which is a remnant of an old field boundary. This bank used to be the boundary hedge for ""Back Fort Field"". The bank behind the tennis courts has Wild Strawberries from May onwards, and they are common in most of the valley's hedge banks. The bank alongside the croquet lawns in Station Road, which is  adjacent to the Fortfield area, has Purple Ramping-fumitory and patches of Sticky Mouse-ear where Goldfinches feed on the seeds. Sadly, the bank behind the cricket pavilion and tennis courts is becoming swamped by the invasive non-native Three Cornered Leek. Swallows nest in the croquet club 'hut' every summer.

It is easy to dismiss the town's parks and gardens as being of no natural interest due to their high level of maintenance to make the enjoyable for visitors and residents alike but look more closely in the corners and on the walls and tombstones and you will find a world of small wonders.