In the early 1930s, as part of extensions to Loch Promenade, built between 1872 and 1882, the marine gardens, often referred to as the sunken gardens - were added, with seating, shelters, a 200ft boating pool, an illuminated fountain, a sundial with eight faces and a sculpture depicting the wreck of the St. George. The sculpture, by Michael Sandle, was funded by the Isle of Man Arts Council and the Henry Moore Foundation and shows Sir William Hillary and his crew saving survivors from the shipwreck and honours the courage of lifeboat crews down through the ages.
The bronze cenotaph there was unveiled on 29th June 2002 by the then Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, Air Marshal Ian Macfadyen, as part of the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the Douglas Lifeboat.
In 2013 the marine gardens became one of two sites (the other was Noble’s Park) owned and maintained by the Council to awarded Green Flag status. They are currently the only sites in the Isle of Man to have achieved the benchmark national standard set by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy for parks and green spaces and recognised across the British Isles, Europe,
