Evan Pierce was born in Denbigh, North Wales and trained as a doctor. He obtained Licentiateship of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1836 and was admitted as a Fellow on 19 October 1870.
While a medical student in Edinburgh, and subsequently in practice in his hometown, Pierce gained considerable public recognition for his work in combatting a cholera pandemic. In recognition of this, and of his other works in the town, a public subscription was raised to construct a commemorative garden. Pierce himself donated the land for the garden in the early 1870s, the foundation stone was laid in 1872 and work continued for another decade, the column being completed in 1885. Pierce also funded the two fountains at the entrance to the garden, erected to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887.
The memorial set within the park is a column topped by a statue of Pierce.
