Millie’s Garden (also known as Festival Garden) was renovated for the unveiling of the eponymous bronze sculpture at the turn of the millennium.
The statue, created by Dr John Willats, is of a mill girl to mark the town’s history with the wool and cloth trade.
The garden is managed by the town council – and we’ve carried out a number of refresh and improvement projects over the years.
At the time of writing, the latest project is being undertaken in preparation for South West in Bloom 2026, when the garden will be replanted with tropical-themed planting.
Rejuvination project
In summer 2026, we started a project to transform Millie’s Garden into a climate resilience demonstration garden, inspired by landscapes that have adapted to climate change over thousands of years.
The planting combines drought-tolerant Mediterranean plants, species linked to the Caucasus-Hyrcanian refugia and resilient native British plants.
The garden demonstrates biodiversity, sustainability and adaptation while being an attractive resting spot in the town centre.
A large fig tree, damaged in a storm last autumn, has been retained and managed as a compact coppiced plant. Other existing plants have either been relocated or retained in the garden, including the hazel and cherry laurel.
We hope this work will demonstrate recovery, resilience and adaptation to changing conditions, including new planting from appropriate climate zones.
And if you’ve seen the garden recently, you may have noticed the pattern boards originally part of David Attenborough’s 100th birthday celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall. We’re delighted to have obtained some of the Fibonacci sequence-inspired staging for the rejuvenation of the area.
The Fibonacci sequence is a pattern of numbers that appears throughout nature, from the spirals of sunflower seeds and pinecones to the shapes of shells.
It’s a lovely example of how materials from one-off events can be reused – bringing together maths, nature and sustainability.
Getting Here
There are a few ways to get to Millie’s Garden on foot or by bike:
- from St Margaret’s Street (near the Town Bridge)
- from St Margaret’s car park
- from Bridge Street car park.
The nearest bus stop is opposite the space next to Westbury Garden, with another conveniently located across the road on Bridge Street.
The nearest car parks are the St Margaret’s car park a short walk from the green space and the Bridge Street (library) car park which can found across the road.
Both of these car parks are pay and display – please note that the Bridge Street car park does not accept cash or card payments.