On October 23, 2011, in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, John Montgomery a former Burgess and ‘Dean of Guild’ of Peebles, Scotland was formally recognized in a plaque ceremony as the creator of the first pubic garden of both Stanley Park and the City of Vancouver, Canada. The Rock Garden which he had created in the city’s world renowned Stanley Park had flourished for fifty years until slowly portions became abandoned and eventually disappeared into the surrounding forest and the story of the creation of the garden was lost with earlier generations. The story of the Rock Garden remained lost and forgotten until unexpectedly rediscovered in 2000 by Chris Hay, a descendant of John Montgomery, while researching family history.

John Montgomery and his daughter, Mary, in the garden.

John Montgomery was born in Strachur, Argyll, Scotland on March 24, 1844. As a young man he moved to Peebles where with his wife Barbara Allan Campbell raised a large family of nine children. For years he ran a successful butcher shop and became a Burgess and Dean of Guild of the town. After his children had grown John followed his passion of landscape gardening becoming a master gardener. With four of their children having emigrated John and his wife and two younger daughters soon contemplated it as well and on June 18, 1908 set sail from Glasgow to Montreal where they continued on by train to Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

The garden in all its glory.

Montgomery visited nearby Stanley Park regularly and at age 65 applied for a position as a park gardener. As an established master gardener, John’s skills were soon recognized in his hiring by the Vancouver Park Board. In 1911 excavations began in the park for a new large refreshment pavilion building to fill the growing needs of its visitors. An unsightly heap of boulders remained which concerned the Park Commissioners. While working in the area Montgomery noticed this pile of rocks and proposed to the Commissioners that these discarded stones could be put to good use to build a rock garden rather than simply burying them. At the Commissioners' request Montgomery then produced a sample garden and was ultimately given permission to continue. For the following nine years until his death on March 15, 1920, he created an extensive rock garden complete with rock-lined pathways, ponds, arbours and benches that stretched for almost a mile from Pipeline Road to Coal Harbour.

An integral part of the Pavilion landscape with its neighbouring Pavilion garden they comprised the primary public garden in the city which now enabled all Vancouver residents and visitors to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of a garden found previously only in the city’s wealthy private homes. As early as 1916 the Rock Garden was appreciated world wide in postcards, park and city booklets and various souvenirs. Although a park feature attraction for decades, eventually portions of the Rock Garden became neglected and gradually disappeared into the adjacent forest.

Chris Hay at plague dedication.

The discovery of the lost Rock Garden while researching family history soon became much more than a family story but rather an incredible story of Vancouver’s past as the first public garden of the City of Vancouver. The true extent of the Rock Garden was not revealed until a devastating windstorm hit Vancouver on December 15, 2006. All over Stanley Park hundreds of trees came down, some miraculously allowing lost portions of this amazing landscape to be revealed again.

After years of research and lobbying both the City and the Vancouver Park Board which manages Stanley Park, a motion was passed by the Park Board on July 11, 2011 to formally recognize the Rock Garden as a historical site of the City of Vancouver. This was followed by a celebration on October 23, 2011 for the 100th birthday of both the Pavilion and its surrounding Rock Garden. The highlight was the Vancouver Heritage Foundation unveiling of a Vancouver 125 ‘Places that Matter’ plaque awarded to recognize John Montgomery and the creation of his garden as the first public garden of the City of Vancouver. This outstanding citizen of Peebles past continued on to serve his community and others with his amazing work ethic throughout his life.