The William Batt Memorial Garden was built after it’s namesake, former Nowra Municipal Council town clerk Bill Batt, noticed the land had become an eyesore and was in a state of disarray.
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The triangular island outside the Bridge Hotel had a broken fence, was weed ridden, and was often traversed by hotel patrons who may or may not have had a drink or two.
Batt, who eventually spent 34 years in local government, set about creating a more pleasing permanent structure on the site, which was previously a war memorial.
He designed the traffic island, constructed of stone from Illaroo Road quarry, and decided it should be low enough to see over and have rounded corners so they would not be knocked off by traffic.
The centre of the stone work was initially a memorial pond, however it was later decided to transform it into a lawn.
It was nicknamed Batt’s Folly until 1992 when it was given it’s official title.
