Alexandra Park,

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, was opened in 1907 and was a place of recreation for the people of

Portsea Island Portsea Island is a flat and low-lying natural island in area, just off the southern coast of Hampshire in England. Portsea Island contains the majority of the city of Portsmouth. Portsea Island has the third-largest population of all th ...

. It provided lawns, flowers beds, paths and seats; it was an area to escape the toils of inner city life in the early twentieth century. The park was named after

Queen Alexandra 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 King ...

. At the time of the parks opening the site was already home to a bicycle track. The park is still popular today, and plays host to the Mountbatten Sports Centre, a modern sports facility including a 50-metre swimming pool and athletics and cycle tracks. To the north of the park there are playing fields which host a number of sports including

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

, cricket, hockey, football matches & motocross. The southern section of the park provides a children's play area, and retains its trees, flower, beds and lawns, and is an area for general recreation. The

Portsmouth Dreadnoughts The Portsmouth Dreadnoughts are an American football team currently based in Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority ...

American Football Team currently use Alexandra Park as their training ground as well as their home venue. The park is connected to the site of the

Hilsea Lido Hilsea Lido is a freshwater Lido (swimming pool), lido at Hilsea, Portsmouth, England. The lido was closed for a number of years but reopened undergoing refurbishment under the control of Hilsea Lido Pool for the People. Description The Hilsea L ...

via the Stamshaw

Esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

References

Welcome to Portsmouth, Alexandra Park
Urban public parks Portsmouth Parks and open spaces in Hampshire Tourist attractions in Portsmouth Sports venues in Hampshire {{England-sports-venue-stub