AN inspirational new garden that will take visitors back to the time of the dinosaurs is nearing completion.

The Jurassic Garden in Whitby’s Pannett Park will take people on a 60-million year journey through time.

They will walk through lower, middle and upper Jurassic rocks and fossils of the Whitby area in a garden that is part of a Lottery-assisted £1.4m restoration project for the park.

And even the vegetation will echo the plant life of the period. Ginkgo and araucaria - monkey puzzle - trees will be planted because they are true "fossil trees" that have survived from the Jurassic period.

Whitby Museum’s curator of geology, Roger Osborne, said: "Whitby is famous for its Jurassic rocks and fossils, so it’s great to see a Jurassic garden in Pannett Park.

"The geology is what makes the Yorkshire Coast so beautiful, and the history of the geology is a fascinating part of the culture of Whitby."

A partnership consisting of the Friends of Pannett Park, Whitby Town Council and Scarborough Borough Council were awarded £1.4m by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Parks for People Programmer in December 2008 for the park’s refurbishment.

A £300,000 new children’s play area opened in August and work in progress includes restoration of the lily pond, construction of a commemorative garden and South Seas garden. The current construction contract is programmed to finish at the end of November 2009.