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''Friends of Congleton Park''. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
Below Town Wood is a flat triangular area with a circuit path, bounded on two sides by the River Dane. A pavilion was built near the cast-iron bridge in 1887, to mark the
"Congleton Park"
Cheshire East Council. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
Congleton Park is a public park in
, and the park has several times won a Congleton
Congleton is a market town and civil parish in Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is on the River Dane, south of Manchester and north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 28,497 and the built-up area ha ...
, in Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, England. It is listed Grade II in Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...
's Register of Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
{{R from move ...
{{R from move ...Green Flag Award
The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...
. It is owned by Cheshire East Council and operated by Congleton Town Council.
Background
In 1860, members of the Park Committee, set up to create a park in the town, along withJames Bateman James Bateman may refer to:
* James Bateman (horticulturist) (1811–1897), British landowner and horticulturist
* James Bateman (artist) (1893–1959), English painter of rural scenes
* James Bateman (MP), MP for Carlisle
* James Bateman (banker) ...
, creator of the gardens at Biddulph Grange, assessed a possible location at Town Wood. Congleton Town Council subsequently purchased land between Town Wood and the River Dane
The River Dane is a tributary of the River Weaver that originates in the Peak District area of England. The name of the river (earlier ''Daven'') is probably from the Old Welsh ''dafn'', meaning a "drop or trickle", implying a slow-moving river. ...
. The park was designed by Edward Kemp (who had worked under Joseph Paxton
Sir Joseph Paxton (3 August 1803 – 8 June 1865) was an English gardener, architect, engineer and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Member of Parliament. He is best known for designing the Crystal Palace, which was built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde ...
at Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, north-east of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the House of Cavendish, Cavendish family si ...
) and the town surveyor William Blackshaw. A cast-iron bridge was built over the River Dane, providing a southern entry to the park. Congleton Park was opened on 29 May 1871 by the Mayor, Dr Robert Beales."Congleton Park History"''Friends of Congleton Park''. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
Description
The area of the park is about . In the north-west is Town Wood, a steep wooded slope of area about through which are informal paths: there are views from here to the east and south. At the highest point there was once a mock fort emplacement with a Russian cannon. The cannon, one of many captured after theSiege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)
The siege of Sevastopol (at the time called in English the siege of Sebastopol) lasted from October 1854 until September 1855, during the Crimean War. The allies ( French, Sardinian, Ottoman, and British) landed at Eupatoria on 14 September ...
, was received by Congleton in 1859 and placed in the park in 1871. It was removed in 1940, and was probably melted down for the war effort.
Below Town Wood is a flat triangular area with a circuit path, bounded on two sides by the River Dane. A pavilion was built near the cast-iron bridge in 1887, to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the Golden jubilee, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a National service of thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Serv ...
, and a landing stage was built by the river. A cast-iron drinking fountain of 1887, originally in the town centre, was later moved to the park. A bowling pavilion was built in 1897, later replaced. A second bridge across the river was built before 1909, a wooden footbridge near St Stephen's Church, which was replaced in 1976.
The Coronation Garden, east-north-east of the pavilion, is a formal garden created in 1953 to celebrate the Coronation of Elizabeth II
The Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Elizabeth II as queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. Elizabeth acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon th ...
. The market cross has stood in its present central position since 1953. It base is thought to date from about 1500. It was removed from its original location in 1772; it was reassembled from surviving parts in 1902, and erected in Lawton Street Gardens, where in 1919 it was used as the town's first war memorial before a permanent memorial was established. It was moved in the 1920s to the north entrance of Congleton Park.
Facilities
Facilities include a bowling green, a large open space, and a children's play area. Public events take place throughout the year.Cheshire East Council. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
References
{{Reflist Congleton Parks and open spaces in Cheshire Tourist attractions in Cheshire Grade II listed parks and gardens in Cheshire