The Burning Bush of Zig Zags Park, Dover, Kent, UK

John Latter, on November 9, said:

A break in the overhead canopy enabled sunlight from behind to reflect back off of the bush on the other side of the clearing in such a way, that as I looked up, my first impression was of golden leaves that were positively glowing - the photo doesn't do justice to the moment :) (it looks better in a larger size)

Recent photos of the Zig Zags include:

The Victorian Zig-Zags Park of Old Castle Hill Road

Heading South along the Zig Zags Park, Dover, Kent, UK

North Upper Pathway Entrance, Zig Zags Park, Dover, Kent, UK

South Upper Pathway Entrance, Zig Zags Park, Dover, Kent, UK

Click on the Zig Zags tag to see all photos of this location.

Standard Info for Zig Zags Park

The Victorian serpentine metalled pathway known as the "Zig Zags" once ran from the top of Laureston Place (as it turns into Victoria Park) up to where Connaught Road meets today's Castle Hill Road at the South Gate of Connaught Park, just across the road from the Constable`s Gateway entrance to Dover Castle.

The Zig Zags pathway was superimposed upon the Old Castle Hill Road in the late 19th Century (see the extract from "Annals of Dover" below), but as a result of the 1987 Hurricane - during which a number of its surrounding trees were uprooted - the area has been re-landscaped and in some places it is difficult to trace the original Zig Zag route.

The Zig Zags was one of the many more-or-less 'abandoned' areas in and around Dover that were requisitioned by my friends and I when we were children. Today, I suppose it ought to be considered to be a small park in its own right.

Extract from the 1916 edition of "Annals of Dover", by John Bavington Jones:

William John Adcock, Mayor in 1885 and 1890, was a native of Nottingham, and a builder. During his first Mayoralty, there being a great many men out of work, this Mayor raised a large public subscription for their relief, and, having obtained the permission of the War Department, he transformed the old Castle Hill Road (which had been superseded by a new road in 1799) into a charming zig-zag walk, ornamented with trees and shrubs, which have since matured, forming a pleasing approach to the South Gate of [Connaught] Park.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town

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