Vernon Park is the oldest country park in

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

, England. The Victorian park contains the Vernon Park Museum.

History

Vernon Park opened on 20 September 1858 as ''Pinch Belly Park'' or the ''People's Park''. It was built by Stockport Corporation on land donated by George John Warren (Lord Vernon). Work was given to the many unemployed mill workers of the time and it became known as Pinch Belly Park due to their hunger. The park has Grade II status in the English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. After being awarded £2.1 million from the Heritage Lottery for restoration, the park reopened on 29 September 2000.

Park

In 1842 Lord Vernon presented to Stockport Corporation of land about southeast of the town. The council laid it out as a public park. One portion rises from the bank of the River Goyt which flows over a weir making a waterfall. There are statues, ponds, rock work, a fountain and planting. The park was formally opened by the Mayor of Stockport, William Williamson, on 20 September 1858. The park has a bandstand, a maze, a pond, a playground and a bowling green. The gardens include water features, a fernery, a sunken garden and herbaceous borders. The landscape includes tree-lined paths, statues and a cannon. The open views allow sight of the nearby mills.

Vernon Park Museum

A museum was opened in 1860. Originally known as the Stockport Museum, the building was renamed the Vernon Museum. In 2013 the museum was closed and many of its 2,800 objects were moved to the Stockport Story Museum. The building is now run by Pure Innovations and includes a cafe run by people with disabilities.

Gallery

File:Vernon Park - geograph.org.uk - 1128576.jpg, File:Vernon Park - geograph.org.uk - 1333876.jpg, File:Vernon Park - geograph.org.uk - 1128598.jpg, File:Vernon Park - geograph.org.uk - 1128595.jpg, File:Vernon Park - geograph.org.uk - 1653255.jpg, File:Vernon Park - geograph.org.uk - 1333922.jpg, File:Vernon Park - geograph.org.uk - 1128570.jpg, File:Vernon Park - geograph.org.uk - 1652988.jpg, File:Vernon Park - geograph.org.uk - 860222.jpg, File:Vernon Park Bandstand - geograph.org.uk - 1333899.jpg, File:Vernon Park Fountain - geograph.org.uk - 1128566.jpg, File:Vernon Park Fountain - geograph.org.uk - 1128562.jpg, File:Vernon Park, Stockport - geograph.org.uk - 7726.jpg, File:Vernon Park Fountain - geograph.org.uk - 1333866.jpg, File:Vernon Park Fountain - geograph.org.uk - 1652972.jpg, File:Vernon Park Lake - geograph.org.uk - 16363.jpg,

References

External links

Stockport Museums on Facebook

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council: official Stockport Museums page
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