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 The ornate wrought iron gates (pictured here at right), were originally purchased in Scotland and once stood in the middle of the east side. A public skating rink, built in 1859 and the first in Canada, was removed for their installation. In 1907, the Gardens' wooden fence was replaced with the iron one we see today and the gates were moved to their present location in the southeast corner. The gates bear the city's coat of arms and an historical Public Gardens crest. They have become a signature feature of the Gardens.
 The bandstand, which is both ornamental and practical, is the heart of the Gardens. Situated in the middle of an open, sunny section of what was once the original Horticultural Society garden, it is the focus of social events as well as a favourite informal meeting place. In honour of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887, German born Henry Busch was selected to design the ornate wooden structure. The gingerbread decoration, painted in blue, green, yellow and white, cheerfully echoes the exuberant colours and orderly geometry of the surrounding flower beds. Despite extensive repairs over the years, the original design remained with little changed except for the removal of some decorative details. But now the structure has been lovingly restored to a state as close to its Victorian original as possible, including a copper-clad roof (seen in the last picture of the series, Bandstand over the years).
 Griffin's Pond, the largest body of water in the Gardens, was named for a young Irish man hanged for murder on the east side of the pond in the 1830s. In 1878-9, superintendent Richard Power implemented a plan to give the pond a more attractive, natural shape by removing the square walls surrounding the water, and sloping and laying sods on the scalloped banks. The island in the pond was enlarged during these alterations, and the ornamental house that once stood there has been replaced by a miniature lighthouse.
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