Most town and cities in Britain have public parks where residents or visitors can sit and admire the flowers or where the more energetic can engage in sporting activities. In this respect, we are more than likely following in the footsteps of our ancestors, many of whom will have spent much of their valued leisure time in the local parks. It was during the Victorian era, especially following the 1871 Public Parks Act, that so many of our local parks came into being.

The royal parks of London were among the first to open to the ordinary public. Hyde Park was the earliest, opened to the public by Charles I in 1637. But it would be two centuries before the concept of public parks began to take root. Another royal park, Regent’s Park, was first opened to the general public in 1835, initially for two days a week.

From the early Victorian period of the 1840s, a public park movement evolved in Britain which steadily gained momentum, so that by the 1880s most towns had more than one park to provide recreation for its citizens. More public parks were opened between 1885 and 1914 than in any other period. To the Victorians, the provision of a public park in every town was seen as essential – not only did it provide recreation but it also had health benefits by promoting exercise. Public parks were also seen to act as a civilising agent upon the working classes. They were a means by which the working classes could escape their overcrowded living areas in the town’s slums and enjoy the benefits of fresh air in a clean, natural and healthy environment. In addition, they could also enjoy the beauty of nature which would serve, it was believed, to refine their tastes and habits so that their leisure time was spent in a morally acceptable way and away from the public house.

In order to appeal to the working classes, these public parks needed to have various amenities. This was reflected in the beautiful horticultural displays where carefully landscaped gardens and impressive displays of flowers would provide a vivid contrast to the drab, garden-less homes of the poor. Bandstands were built as well as ornamental fountains so that visitors could enjoy live music in aesthetically pleasing surroundings. Sports facilities included tennis courts, football pitches and bowling greens and there were playground areas for children. The provision of refreshments was also common. A day out at the park with the family at the weekend was deemed the respectable way for a family to spend its leisure time.

Consequently, the public park movement was deemed very important in the Victorian era and was aided by many philanthropists who endowed towns with land and buildings which could be converted into parks. Queens Park in Heywood, Lancashire, which opened in 1879, is a fine example of this. The land had belonged to a Charles Newhouse of Heywood. He died intestate, and this meant that his land devolved to the crown. Queen Victoria magnanimously gave the land back to the people of Heywood to use as they wished. £11,000 from Newhouse’s estate enabled a grand public park to be built for the people of Heywood which included an ornamental lake, a bowling green and tennis courts as well as a vast array of lawns, trees and shrubs for the town’s people to feast their eyes upon.

Certainly, the many public parks which emerged during the Victorian era were carefully planned. Professional gardeners emerged such as Joshua Major, who helped to design several large and ornate parks in the Manchester area such as Peel Park in Salford and Phillips Park in Whitefield, which were characterised by their areas for sport, recreation and walking. Parks were also often funded by public subscription. The Open Spaces Acts of 1877, followed by amendments to it in 1881, 1887 and 1890, served to give the necessary power to local authorities to utilise inner city space for public parks.

Many parks were also built to commemorate famous people connected with a town or to celebrate Queen Victoria’s various jubilees when many gifts of land were given to towns by the crown for the provision of parks. As the 19th century progressed, public parks became an integral part of town planning and provision of public services. By the 1880s, ever larger and more magnificent parks were being built, often seen as a civic requirement in order to attract tourists to the area as well as being for the benefit of locals.

The public park movement had reached its peak by the early 20th century. They are a unique part of our heritage which has served many generations before us as they will no doubt serve many more generations to come.