Springbank Park is a 140-hectare (300 acre) park located along a stretch of the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The largest park in London, it contains of trails and is home to Storybook Gardens, a family attraction open year-round.

History

Springbank Park was originally developed around the site of a

waterworks Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

facility in the late 19th century.

Alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

James Egan suggested the nearby Hungerford Hill, now commonly known as "Reservoir Hill". In the years following the creation of the waterworks the city began to purchase more land in the surrounding area and the spot became a resort serviced by steamboat to and from London via the Thames River. During the year 1896 the London Street Railway constructed and began service of a

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

system to take people to and from Springbank Park in record amounts. In the years to follow the additions to the park would include

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

and

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thou ...

lawns,

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...

, campground, amusement park and a

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and cities in ...

all before 1925. As time passed on, London grew around the park; around 1920, a miniature train was added as an attraction, and as of 2022 it still exists, although relocated and replaced. In the 1960s, the riverboat ''Storybook Queen'' was launched in the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

and gave visitors to Storybook Gardens a taste of the long-over age of riverboat travel.

Sinking of ''Victoria''

On May 24, 1881, the steamboat ''Victoria'' capsized and sank close to Cove Bridge after the boiler broke free and crashed through the supports holding up the second deck, causing the decks to collapse onto one another. Hundreds of people drowned or suffered burns, and 182 bodies were recovered from the site. Many believe more bodies are still trapped under the shipwreck. This disaster is widely known among those living in London, and when it happened, it severely cut back the popularity of steamer travel along the Thames and scaled back the popularity of the waterworks grounds. The shipwreck of the ''Victoria'' was eventually removed, but there is still part of the wreck sitting under the mud on the bottom of the river, and it can be seen during low water levels. Afterwards the grounds could still be reached by carriage and eventually horse-drawn bus, but interest would not recover for years.

Storybook Gardens

Storybook Gardens opened in 1958. This popular attraction included

sea lions Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

(later replaced by

harbour seal The harbor (or harbour) seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared se ...

s) and various other animals tied in with themes from children's nursery rhymes and stories. On June 16, 1958, " Slippery the Seal" escaped from a pool into the nearby

. Ten days later, amid intense publicity and "sightings" of various degrees of reliability, the sea lion turned up 400 km away near Sandusky, Ohio. After several days on display to record-breaking crowds, the Americans returned Slippery. The mayor of

proclaimed "Slippery Day" and thousands lined the streets to see Slippery's return. An "international incident" staged between Storybook and the Toledo Zoo was later revealed to have been a

publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utilize ...

. The park also includes a carousel, a miniature train (which are both placed just outside the park), climbing facilities and slides which have been upgraded throughout the years. In 2003 Storybook Gardens underwent a major refurbishment to its present state and is now open year-round with skating in the winter. No animals currently reside here now: a fire claimed the barn in which the animals were housed, though the animals were unhurt and sent to live elsewhere. On June 8, 2012, while the remaining four seals at Storybook gardens were being transported to the

Saint Louis Zoo The Saint Louis Zoo, officially known as the Saint Louis Zoological Park, is a zoo in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. It is recognized as a leading zoo in animal management, research, conservation, and education. The zoo is accredited by the ...

, two seals, Peanut and Atlantis, died. A third seal, Cri Cri, died on June 13 while being treated.

Present day

At present, Springbank Park is the largest park in London, with trails accommodating biking or walking. There is a playground, swings, a wading pool, picnic areas and soccer fields. With paths leading to adjoining parks one can travel 10 km directly from

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

to downtown London without traffic.

References

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Ship Accidents

External links