Perth, Riverside Parks

The public Riverside Parks are made up of a connected series of tree lined walks and open spaces running north along the east bank of the River Tay mainly between the rail bridge crossing in the south and Commercial Street in the north.

From the south the walkway opens out in the broad open grassed area of Bellwood Riverside Park, edged to the north with the Heather Garden and the Kinoull burial ground, once suburban gardens and then plant nurseries. The Heather Garden was largely laid out in 2014 with the addition of a large number of plants moved from the previous national heather collection at Cherrybank (see Perth, Cherrybank, General for aerial views).

To the east of the Heather Garden, incorporating the folly and well of the now demolished Wellbank House, is The Compassionate Friends Garden which opened in 2018 alongside the burn feeding into The Tay which also falls as a gentle cascade through the Heather Garden.

Rodney Gardens sits to the north below the Rodney Pavilion, said to be named after Admiral George Rodney. The pavilion was built in 1932 as a recreation sports club for employees of General Accident. Where the current Rodney Gardens sit was once tennis courts and bowling green associated with the club as seen on the OS. The building and grounds were purchased by the then district council in 1985, the landscape was redesigned as park whilst the pavilion building was opened to the public as a gym. As of summer 2023 the pavilion building is for sale.

The Rodney Gardens and Norie-Miller Walk are connected by footpath underpasses beneath South Street bridge. The Norie-Miller Walk, named after the Norie-Miller family, both Sir Francis and his son Sir Stanley Norie-Miller were involved in the founding and development of General Accident, the insurance company based in Perth. In 1971 the Norie-Miller Walk was established by the directors and staff of General Accident, in tribute a bas relief of Sir Stanley Norie-Miller by sculptor Scott Sutherland is embedded in a wall at one of the northern entrances to the park. The Norie-Miller Walk was awarded both a Civic Trust Award and Perth Council Civic Award in 1972. The refurbishment of this and other areas of the riverside Parks in the mid 1980’s was also the period when the sculpture walk was initially established, though not all the original pieces now survive in situ.