Peel Park, Bradford
| Peel Park | |
|---|---|
Footpath near Bolton Road entrance
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| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Undercliffe, Bradford, West Yorkshire |
| Coordinates | 53°48′32″N 1°44′31″W / 53.809°N 1.742°WCoordinates: 53°48′32″N 1°44′31″W / 53.809°N 1.742°W |
| Area | 22.6 ha (56 acres) |
| Created | 1853 |
| Etymology | Named in memory of Sir Robert Peel |
| Operated by | City of Bradford, Parks and Landscape Services |
| Status | open all year round |
| Awards | Green Flag Award |
Peel Park is a 22.6-hectare (56-acre) urban public park in the Bolton and Undercliffe area of Bradford, England, located about 0.75 miles (1.2 km) north-east of the city centre, and named after Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850). Peel Park was Bradford's first public park and is on the English Heritage and National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens online databases. The park is a Green Flag Award winner and has been for a number of years.
A public meeting took place in St George's Hall, Bradford on 13 August 1850 to discuss the creation of a park as a memorial to Sir Robert Peel who had died that year. Together with a government donation of £1,500, funding was raised from Sir Robert Milligan, Sir Titus Salt, Forbes and Company and by numerous other private subscriptions to purchase 26 ha (64 acres) of land that was subsequently named Peel Park Estate, and some 22.6 ha (56 acres) of this land was developed as Peel Park. The park was opened in 1853 and a series of galas were held in the park to raise funds to pay off the remaining debt for the purchase of the land and its layout as a park—this took some 12 years. In 1870 the park was conveyed to the Municipal Borough of Bradford, and is now owned by the City of Bradford. Money was then raised for local hospitals by the galas until 1936 when the last gala was held.
In the 1900s the park lake had a large ornamental fountain and a footbridge crossing the lake. Slightly higher and to the east of the lake, separated by low cascade was a second smaller lake remodelled from a fish pond. To the north east of the lake was a fossilised tree and to the north west of the lake a conservatory—but all these have gone.
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Wikipedia