Biblical Garden Elgin

The Biblical Garden is a truly beautiful and serene garden, that is hidden behind an unassuming gate, opposite Elgin Cathedral.

The garden was the brainchild of Donald McBean, a Senior Horticultural Officer with the Moray District Council. It took several years to develop, and finally opened to the public in 1996.

The garden covers three acres and can be found on King Street, next to the Bishop's House and opposite Elgin Cathedral.

It was important that the Community, Church, Commerce and Council were all involved in the project. The idea was to bring stories from the Bible to life using statues and plants that are mentioned within the Bible, so keep your eyes peeled as you walk around.

A soon as you enter the garden, the verses from the Bible can be seen on the rocks placed around the garden.

Once through the gate, if you turn right, there are some beautiful mosaic's on the garden walls that were made by local schools.

The garden contains over one hundred and ten plants depicting parables, and ninety of the trees and shrubs were donated by schools.

As you follow the paving, first you notice the bible on a plinth.

Did you notice that the paving is in the shape of a cross.

As you walk up the paved cross, you will notice a well. This symbolises where Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well in Samaria. There were sculptures surrounding the well, but unfortunately they were damaged by the weather.

There is a brilliant Cathedral shaped trellis modelled on the Cathedral next door.

There is a small shelter in front of the rockery. There was a planter in front of the shelter, which signified the stable where Jesus was born and the manger.

I hope you are still keeping an eye out for the references to the Bible.

Behind the rockery is a large open area that contains a oriental garden and pruning beds.

Behind the Oriental Garden on the left, you will see polytunnels and outbuildings. This is the nursery and classrooms used by the Horticulture students of UHI Moray.

If you walk behind the rockery, you end up at a seating area with a quirky train planter. The perfect place for a rest and/or a picnic.

There are also plenty of information boards as you walk around.

The garden has had several sculptures, however, after some had become disfigured as a result of the weather, they were removed.

On all three of our visits, Solomon seems to have survived.

Leaving Solomon behind and making your way back to the entrance, you will find the Mound to your left.

This depicts Mount Sinai and if you walk around the mound you will find the Cave of the Resurrection on the other side.

The Biblical Garden was only possible due to the donations from the local businesses, Churches, Schools, organisations and individuals. There is a list of all those that have contributed to this amazing place.

Whatever the season, enjoy this beautiful tranquil space.

The garden is free of charge and open from May to September daily, although we visited outside these months and it was still accessible.

There is up to 2hrs parking on the nearby roadside, or a car park on Lodge Lane.