Alexandra Park is a public
park in
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...
,
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
, England. It was created in response to the
Lancashire Cotton Famine
The Lancashire Cotton Famine, also known as the Cotton Famine or the Cotton Panic (1861–65), was a depression in the textile industry of North West England, brought about by overproduction in a time of contracting world markets. It coincided wi ...
of 1861–1865 as an attempt to keep local textile workers employed.
The park is located in the
Glodwick area of Oldham.
Oldham was hit hard by the Lancashire Cotton Famine of 1861–1865 when supplies of raw cotton from the United States were cut off. Wholly reliant upon the textile processing industry, the economy of Oldham strained as the cotton famine created chronic unemployment in the town.
By 1863 a committee had been formed and with a loan from central government, land at Swine Clough was purchased from Reverend John Cocker of
Shaw and Crompton
Shaw and Crompton is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which contains the town of Shaw and lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines. It is located north of Oldham, south ...
whom made it a condition that local unemployed cotton workers were employed to construct the park which opened on 28 August 1865.
John Thomas Cocker, Esq., of New-bank Heyside purchased the estate of Swine Clough in 1850 from the Ogden Family. This family enjoyed this estate for several generations. It was sold to Adam Ogden the elder in 1670 by Edmund Assheton, Esq., of Chadderton, Swine Clough was an ancient farm a short distance to the west of Glodwick.
Opened by Josiah M Radcliffe, the then Mayor of Oldham, the park was named to commemorate the marriage of
Albert, Prince of Wales to
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of ...
.
During its history it has had a "refreshment room", a boating lake (constructed in 1903) and been the site of statues honouring local
Oldhamers of eminence.
A number of structures in the park are
grade II listed, including ornamental features, buildings and statues of
John Platt and
Robert Ascroft.
Oldham council plans to open a state of the art eco-centre at the park sometime in Spring 2022.
Gallery
File:Alexandra Park, Blue Plaque - geograph.org.uk - 2657498.jpg, A blue plaque seen on the side of the North Lodge in Alexandra Park
File:Entrance to Alexandra Park - geograph.org.uk - 2111680.jpg, Entrance to Alexandra Park
File:The Lion's Den, Alexandra Park - geograph.org.uk - 2657713.jpg, The Lion's Den
File:Boathouse and Boating Lake, Alexandra Park - geograph.org.uk - 2657526.jpg, Boathouse and Boating Lake
File:Alexandra Park - Oldham - geograph.org.uk - 3260070.jpg, alt=
File:Alexandra Park, Fountain - geograph.org.uk - 2657625.jpg, Fountain
File:Alexandra Park Conservatory - geograph.org.uk - 3357172.jpg, Alexandra Park Conservatory
References
External links
Alexandra Park - History in Postcards & Photographs Parks and commons in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
History of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
1865 establishments in England
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