🌳 OutdoorGardens🆓 Free entryEducational
Facilities
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The John Ray Garden is a small planted garden inside the Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens, dedicated to the 17th-century naturalist John Ray, who was born and died at nearby Black Notley. It was opened in 1986 and is maintained by the John Ray Trust. The borders hold plants that would have been familiar to Ray in the 1600s, and there are signboards telling visitors about the plants and about Ray's life. Many of the plants are multisensory, so children can look, smell and touch as they walk around. The garden has level paths and seating, and it sits alongside the wider public gardens, which include a play area, a pond and a bandstand. It suits a short, relaxed visit with a picnic or a nature walk, and it is free to enter.
Stuff to take with you
The things people wish they’d packed for a day out like this one.
- Wellies
- Refillable water bottleMost places will fill it for free.
- Snacks that survive a rucksackCheaper than the café, and buys you twenty minutes.
- Wet wipes
- Hairbrush
- Spare carrier bagFor the wet things. There are always wet things.
- Binoculars
- Wildlife spotting chart
- Face wipes
- I-spy book
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