A BEAUTIFUL SQUARE IN A BEAUTIFUL TOWN
01 DECEMBER 2022
Looking out through the tower
Sunny Days And Burleigh Pies
Blenheim is a picturesque town, from its rolling Wither Hills to the walk out to the TSS Waverly shipwreck and of course there are the beautifully maintained grounds at Seymour Square.
We spent time in Blenheim visiting family and on one of our last days in the town, we had a really nice day so we decided to grab a Burleigh's pie for lunch and eat it at Seymour Square. If you haven't had a Burleigh pie.... you are missing out my friend!! They are the BEST pies we've ever had!
Despite being a bluebird day and lunchtime, the park was really quiet so we enjoyed the peace, warm sun and our deeelicious pies! We had been to the park a couple of weeks before this visit, we were lined up beside the park for the Christmas parade, so it was nice to enjoy it without the masses!
We spent time in Blenheim visiting family and on one of our last days in the town, we had a really nice day so we decided to grab a Burleigh's pie for lunch and eat it at Seymour Square. If you haven't had a Burleigh pie.... you are missing out my friend!! They are the BEST pies we've ever had!
Despite being a bluebird day and lunchtime, the park was really quiet so we enjoyed the peace, warm sun and our deeelicious pies! We had been to the park a couple of weeks before this visit, we were lined up beside the park for the Christmas parade, so it was nice to enjoy it without the masses!
The gardens are beautifully maintained
The main attraction
Our spot for our lunch date
You can enter inside the base of the clock tower, but ye shall not go up (you can't anyway, no stairs!)
The Fountain
The square features a memorial fountain to commemorate the people who served in WW2 and even though the water doesn't fly high, it's peaceful to look at and it even lights up at night.
Originally in its place was a band rotunda, but in 1951 there was a referendum to decide where the best place to put a WW2 memorial in Blenheim was, so bye bye rotunda and hello fountain!
Originally in its place was a band rotunda, but in 1951 there was a referendum to decide where the best place to put a WW2 memorial in Blenheim was, so bye bye rotunda and hello fountain!
The square had lots of vibrant flowers planted around the place
The fountain lights up at night
We were lucky to visit on such a bluebird day!
War Memorial
The square is in the heart of Blenheim and features a 16.5m high warm memorial stone clock tower which serves to commemorate 419 residents in Marlborough who were killed during WWI. Amazingly, it was built using stones collected from all over Marlborough as a permanent reminder of all of the town's war efforts. It was also constructed of Australian sandstone to symbolize the unity between NZ and Aus forces during the war.
The tower was unveiled in 1928 and was designed by Roger Bacon (mmm, bacon) and was named after Henry Seymour who owned the land (along with his son in law, Alfred Fell, which we now know as Blenheim.
The tower was unveiled in 1928 and was designed by Roger Bacon (mmm, bacon) and was named after Henry Seymour who owned the land (along with his son in law, Alfred Fell, which we now know as Blenheim.
Inside the base of the clock tower
Pretty lights
Not a weed in sight!
There are plenty of park benches and grass areas to chill on
Just a quick walk back to the car!
Know Before You Go
- There is free parking along certain parts of the street for 30-minutes, otherwise you will need to pay (like anywhere in the centre of Blenheim!)
- There are public toilets in the park
- There are heaps of benches and plenty of grass areas to chill on
- The fountain is lit up at night
- You can go inside the clock tower at the base, to look at the name on the war memorial but there's no way to get up inside the tower
Mappy McMap Face
Getting There
The square is located on High Street, Seymour Street, Alfred Street and Henry Street so take ya pick where you want to park up!! We had free parking for 30-minutes on Seymour Street which gave us enough time to soak in a little bit of vitamin D and destroy a Burleigh Pie.
Conclusion
Seymour Square is a beautiful place to hang out, especially on a sunny day. The park is big enough to feel away from other people when you're chilling out. The clock tower is a beautiful commemoration to the war and so is the fountain. The grounds are super well maintained and there are always beautiful flowers growing here.
Gallery of Seymour Square
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
More to do in Marlborough
QUEEN CHARLOTTE DRIVE
MARLBOROUGH An incredible drive snaking 40kms between Havelock and Picton, with many bays to stop and admire the breath-taking views. |
OMAKA AVIATION HERITAGE CENTRE
MARLBOROUGH An incredible experience with life size planes and figurines each telling unique true stories from wars around the world.
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WHITES BAY BEACH
MARLBOROUGH The perfect beach for swimming and taking in the most incredible views from the cliffs. The drive here is just as breath-taking! |
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