West Park is a public park in Macclesfield, in Cheshire, England, about north-west of the town centre. It was opened in 1854, and is listed Grade II in Historic England's

Register of Parks and Gardens The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by Historic England ...

History

The park was created as a result of a movement among working-men's clubs in Macclesfield for a memorial to the former Prime Minister Robert Peel, who had died in 1850. John May, a councillor who had organised the first works outing to Blackpool from Macclesfield, proposed that money collected should be used not to erect a statue but to create a public park. After a public meeting in 1853, an area of land known as Town Field, and from the Westbrook Estate, were purchased. Work on the park started early in 1854. It was designed by William Barron; he had redesigned the gardens of

Elvaston Castle Elvaston Castle is a stately home in Elvaston, Derbyshire, England. The Gothic Revival castle and surrounding parkland is run and owned by Derbyshire County Council as a country park known as Elvaston Castle Country Park. The country park has ...

, residence of the Earl of Harrington who owned land near Macclesfield. The park, known then as Peel Park, was opened on 2 October 1854. Two Russian cannons captured in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

were placed in the park in 1857. They were removed during the Second World War. Three early medieval cross shafts, formerly at Ridge Hall Farm in Sutton Lane Ends, were moved to the park by 1864. They are at the intersection of two paths in the east of the park, and are a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. They date from the late 9th or early 10th century; there are similar crosses at Wincle and

Astbury Astbury is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Astbury, English swimmer * Ian Astbury, English rock singer * Jill Astbury, Australian researcher into violence against women * William Astbury, English physicist and molecular ...

. West Park Museum, situated to the north of the main entrance, was opened in 1898. It was donated to the town by Marianne Brocklehurst, a collector of Egyptian antiquities. The building, of brick with

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

dressings and a clerestory, is Grade II listed.

Description and facilities

The area of the park is ."West Park, Macclesfield"
Cheshire East Council. Retrieved 27 December 2023. The main entrance is on Prestbury Road; from here there is a driveway through the park towards the location where once stood Westbrook House, now demolished. Westbrook House and its grounds were originally intended as part of the park, but were not included on its opening in 1854. East of the driveway there are informal paths around a bowling green, said to be one of the largest in England, which is overlooked by a grass terrace. West of the driveway there is an open area for games, around which there are winding paths. A skateboard track is situated near the museum. There are mature trees enclosing the open areas. Other facilites include a children's play area, a café, a picnic area and ornamental gardens.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline Macclesfield Parks and open spaces in Cheshire Tourist attractions in Cheshire Grade II listed parks and gardens in Cheshire