Moor Park, Preston
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Moor Park is a large park (with a perimeter of approx ) to the north of the city centre of
Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...
, England. Moor Park is also the name of the
electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
covering the park and the surrounding area. The ward borders the traditional boundary of Fulwood. The population of the ward as at the 2011 census was 5,211.


Park

Moor Park lies to the north of Preston city centre on the A6 (Garstang Road), which forms the western boundary of the park. Blackpool Road between the A6 and Deepdale Road is the northern boundary. The latter forms the eastern side. Opposite the park on Deepdale Road is the
Preston North End F.C. Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
's
Deepdale Deepdale is a football stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End. Deepdale is "widely recognised as being the oldest 'continuously used' football stadium in the world, though this is contested". History ...
stadium. Moor Park is Preston's largest and oldest park. The park was originally a farm and was run by George Dartford from a famous house called the Barn. In her book ''People's Parks'' Conway claims that Moor Park was the first municipal park to be created in the newly emerging industrial towns of Britain. Preston Moor was an area of land to the north on Preston. It was originally
common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect Wood fuel, wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...
derived from the
Royal Forest A royal forest, occasionally known as a kingswood (), is an area of land with different definitions in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The term ''forest'' in the ordinary modern understanding refers to an area of wooded land; however, the ...
of Fulwood by the Charter of Henry III in 1235. In the 1830s it was felt by the town's council that Preston Moor was in a 'neglected and unprofitable condition'. In 1833 ''The Preston Chronicle'' published an article on 'The Intended Inclosure and Improvement of Preston Moor'. It showed a map of the intended enclosure. The plan was drawn up by the Town Steward, the appropriately named Philip Park. In the mid-1860s the park was landscaped to a design by the
landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...
Edward Milner and was part of a scheme to provide work for those unemployed because of 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 ...
. Edward Milner was a former student and assistant of
Joseph Paxton Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
, the noted Victorian architect and park designer. The work was supervised by George Rowbotham, who allegedly became the town's first Parks' Superintendent. () In 1927 an observatory, named the Jeremiah Horrocks Observatory, was built on the park to replace a building in Fulwood. The first curator was G. J. Gibbs,
F.R.G.S. The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
The observatory is now run by the
University of Central Lancashire , mottoeng = "From the Earth to the Sun" , established = as Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledgere-established 1992 (University status granted) , type = Public , chancellor ...
, although light pollution and vibration from traffic on Blackpool Road means that it is no longer used for scientific research. On the Park's far west side facing Garstang Road, a number of central businesses overlook Moor Park. This area of Preston is highly desirable and fashionable. Most of the office buildings are Victorian architecture with open space and large car parks. Some businesses include PHC Law Ltd, Deepdale Vicarage, Lancashire Probabtion Service, Taxbak and St John Ambulance. Moor Park Avenue along the Park's southern side is also a highly desirable location, the buildings are designed with beautiful Victorian and Baroque architecture. Apart from it being residential it is host to many commercial and public businesses including healthcare centres, accountants, dental practices, children's day care centres, hotels, and Moor Park High School and Sixth Form. In August 2013, Moor Park was designated a
Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
park. It is host to several events throughout the year, especially during the Spring and Summer seasons. Some examples include 'S2S In The Park', and an outdoor cinema in 2017.
Eventbrite , Website retrieved 26 July 2018


Electoral ward

Moor Park is currently a two-member electoral ward, which in addition to the neighbouring College (Preston ward), College and
Deepdale Deepdale is a football stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End. Deepdale is "widely recognised as being the oldest 'continuously used' football stadium in the world, though this is contested". History ...
wards, forms the Preston Central North division of
Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It consists of 84 councillors. Since the 2017 election, the council has been under Conservative control. Prior to the 2009 La ...
. The English Martyr's Catholic Church is within the ward.


Current councillors


Demographics

At the 2001 census, Moor Park has a population of 4,919, whilst at the most recent
election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
the electorate was 3,053. Of this figure, 68% described themselves as Christian, with a Muslim population of 5.2%. Whilst the area around Fulwood is largely commuter belt and recent retired properties, the Plungington and Deepdale areas are traditional terraces with multi-occupancy homes increasingly common.


Geography

The traditional “grid” terraces in the south of the ward are made up of a number of main roads, including the A6 Garstang Road which itself runs from the ward's northern boundary at Lytham Road, to the outskirts of the city centre. The component of the electoral ward to the south of Moor Park itself crosses the A6 to take in a number of terraces to St Paul's Road in an easterly direction towards Deepdale. From the main Blackpool Road heading north, the houses are largely semi- and true detached homes in the suburban style.


See also

*
Preston local elections Preston City Council elections are generally held three years out of every four, with a third of the council elected each time. Preston City Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan district of Preston in Lancashire, England. Sin ...
*
Districts of Preston Preston is a city of Lancashire, England. The districts of Preston vary in size and shape, many of which reflect the districts developed from former villages and boroughs which now lie within the boundaries of the city of Preston. Districts of Pre ...


Notes

Open-air-bath for Preston - an interesting ceremony. Preston Guardian. 10 June 1905. p. 13. New sports pavilion at Moor Park. Preston Guardian. 28 May 1932. p. 6.


References


External links


Existing ward arrangements
{{City of Preston culture Parks and commons in Preston Wards of Preston Grade II* listed parks and gardens in Lancashire Geography of Preston