Railway Garden


Closed

Hours of Operation

  • Monday

    Closed

  • Tuesday

    Closed

  • Wednesday

    Closed

  • Thursday

    Closed

  • Friday

    Closed

  • Saturday

    Closed

  • Sunday

    Closed

The Historical Village is now closed until May 17, 2025 except for special and ticketed events. The Historical Village will be open for Day Out With Thomas from May 3 - 4 and 10 - 11, 2025. Gasoline Alley Museum and the shops and restaurants in Heritage Plaza are open year-round.

Exhibit Details

Area

Village Square

Download the Map

Category

Building/Museum

About the Railway Garden

This garden was inspired by the Canadian Pacific Railway gardens that once graced Calgary and other cities. During the 1890s, many station agents voluntarily began beautifying their surroundings by planting flower gardens in an effort to cover the unsightly landscape left after construction. Railway officials encouraged the gardens and supplied agents with seed packets and instruction booklets. Friendly competition soon developed between agents vying for the best gardens.

Seeing that the stations were greatly improved by gardens, the C.P.R. Forestry Department was set up in 1908 to supply trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs. As station gardens became company policy, the C.P.R. hired a horticulturalist and set up nurseries and green houses. With few exceptions, railway garden design was formal with paths, flowerbeds and other elements arranged in geometric patterns amid manicured lawns. During wartime, many railway gardens were turned over for food production. While some gardens lasted into the 1950s, most disappeared as the railway was eclipsed by other modes of travel and the lands used for parking lots or building sites.

Garden at Heritage Park

Visit Heritage Park

1900 Heritage Dr. S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2V 2X3

Email: info@heritagepark.ca
Phone: 403.268.8500

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