The Rookery Rock Garden

This always fascinated me as a kid when I drove into Brighton on the A23. It was only a little while ago I actually got to explore it. Imagine 30 odd years of curiosity spilling out in one moment. Needless to say, my mates thought I was getting a little excited over some rocks, benches, flowers and windy paths.
It is a really nice walk and kids will get totally immersed in their imaginations. I would agree with Sarah though on the downside of the location. It does ruin what would be a really enchanting spot, but if you catch it on the right time of day you may escape the worst of the traffic.

Britain’s largest municipal rock garden, The Rookery was originally landscaped in 1935 by Captain B Maclaren. Built up the side of a steep railway embankment, it’s directly opposite Preston Park and is maintained by the gardeners there.
A truly enchanting space, The Rookery consists of a couple of twisted paths which take you alongside streams, bridges, stepping stones and lots of unusual rocks, plants and flowers. There’s a small building in the middle and benches where you can sit and enjoy the fresh air and craftsmanship. In the spring and summer, there’s usually insects buzzing around and if you look closely, you might be able to see frogs jumping around. The only catch is that Preston Road leads to the A23 and in rush hour, the noise is horrendous. Take a pair of ear-​plugs or your iPod and believe me, you’ll enjoy the experience a lot more.

On the opposite side of Preston Road from Preston Park proper is Britain’s largest municipal rock garden, built on a steep slope that runs up to the railway line. It’s an impressive creation, but is often overlooked by those using the park and I suspect is unknown to most of those driving past, to and from Brighton.
Laid out in 1935, it incorporates over 1,350 of imported Cheddar stone, and has lots of winding paths, steps, a cascade, and a large fish pond with stepping stones. The garden overall has a vaguely oriental theme, although the types of plant include more ordinary bedding plants as well as alpines.
It’s a great place for playing hide and seek, as the paths really do form a warren, but the paths and steps can be both slippery (especially when wet) and are very uneven, so have to be treated with great care. There are lots of benches to sit on, and there are good views from the upper levels — its over 100ft (30m) to the top of the garden from the road.
Only very limited areas adjacent to the road are accessible for push-​chairs and wheelchair users. The pond has deep water, and some parts are very steep with lots of sheer drops, so small children must be supervised.
Unfortunately, some of the public don’t treat the park with the respect it deserves, so some parts suffer badly from litter — beer cans especially — which end up in the cascade. Some of the plants are also looking a little forlorn, so it drops a star for this.