Waverly Park | |
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Autumn foliage in the park.
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Location | Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada |
Coordinates | 48°26′15″N 89°13′36″W / 48.43750°N 89.22667°WCoordinates: 48°26′15″N 89°13′36″W / 48.43750°N 89.22667°W |
Area | 2.39 hectares (5.9 acres) |
Operated by | City of Thunder Bay, Parks Division |
Waverley Park is a public park located in the north end of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It is the second oldest municipal park in Ontario. The park forms the centre of the Waverley Park Heritage Conservation District, a collection of historical homes, churches, schools, and other buildings at the centre of Port Arthur.
The property was surveyed and set aside as parkland by the Crown Lands Department, in the original ordnance survey of the Prince Arthur's Landing town plot in 1871. It was given to the city of Port Arthur in 1907 on the condition that is "not be alienated or leased and that no buildings be erected on it except municipal buildings".
The most notable features of Waverley Park include its giant cottonwood trees, which stand as much as 40 m above the park. In recent years, many have been removed due to advanced age and disease. Other notable features include a fountain, cenotaph, and bandshell. The park is between Waverley Street and Red River Road in Thunder Bay, and is located between two historic schools — Port Arthur Collegiate Institute and Port Arthur Central School — the latter is now home to Magnus Theatre.
The centrepiece of Waverley Park is the Hogarth Fountain. A gift from the wife of a prominent soldier and politician, Major General Donald McDonald Hogarth (1879–1950), the fountain originated from the Luton Hoo Mansion, in the town of Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. Its ten tonne Portland stone foundation dates back to 1790. The fountain was purchased and shipped to Waverly Park in 1964, and dedicated on 5 June 1965.