Pearson Park
| Pearson Park | |
|---|---|
The entrance to Pearson Park
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| Type | Municipal |
| Location | Kingston upon Hull |
| Coordinates | 53°45′31″N 0°21′11″W / 53.758740°N 0.353000°WCoordinates: 53°45′31″N 0°21′11″W / 53.758740°N 0.353000°W |
| Area | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| Created | 1860 |
| Operated by | Hull City Council |
| Status | Open all year |
Pearson Park, originally known as the People's Park is a park in the west of Kingston upon Hull, England. It is situated about 1 mile (1.5 km) north-west of the city centre of Hull with its main entrance on Beverley Road and its western boundary adjoining Princes Avenue.
The park was established in 1862 through the gift of land by Zachariah Pearson, and was the first public park in the city.
During the Victorian period the lack of or need for public spaces for working classes to exercise, or otherwise enjoy themselves became a public cause; in 1833 a parliamentary select committee on Public Walks published a paper which promoted the need for open green spaces in cities. An early proposal in Hull was for a 4.5 mi (7.2 km) walk around the town from Humber bank to Humber bank; this re-appeared as the Grand Victoria Promenade Company in 1845, which proposed a wide road and tree lined walk; the scheme did not go ahead, and the Victoria Dock Branch Line (c. 1853) was built along a similar route. In the late 1850s an attempt was made to gain the rights to the use of the land of the former Hull Citadel for use as a public space, leading to an unsuccessful suit in the Court of Chancery in 1861 made by the Corporation of Hull against the Government.
In 1860 the then Mayor, Zachariah Pearson, donated a 27-acre (11 ha) plot to the board of health on the proviso it would be developed as a park. He retained 10 acres (4.0 ha) on three sides of the park, and constructed a road to the land. At this time the land lay outside the urban growth of the town, close to the hamlet of Stepney.
On 28 August 1860 the park was inaugurated. The event was organised by Enderby Jackson; a procession starting at Mansion House to the park took place, the whole train over 2 miles long. According to Sheahan (1864) around 30,000 visitors came to Hull by railway to observe the proceedings. A ceremony involving the deed of conveyance took place, and the Mayor, Zachariah Pearson then planted a tree, a Wellingtonia Gigantea. Celebrations were continued at the Station Hotel, with a dinner and fireworks display, and to the next day, with further ceremonial tree planting.
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Wikipedia