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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 facilities include a children's play area, a café, a picnic area and ornamental gardens.
West Park is a public park in
.
Macclesfield
Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...
, 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, 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 #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 ...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 MinisterRobert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...
, 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
Earl of Harrington is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was created in 1742.
History
The earldom of Harrington was granted in 1742 to William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, William Stanhope, 1st Baron Harrington, the former Secret ...
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 between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
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
Sutton Lane Ends or Sutton is a semi-rural village and civil parishes in England, civil parish, approximately one mile south of Macclesfield. In 2020 it had an estimated population of 936. The parish includes the villages of Langley, Cheshire, La ...
, 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, visu ...
. They date from the late 9th or early 10th century; there are similar crosses at Wincle
Wincle is a village and civil parish in the Cheshire East district of Cheshire, England. It holds parish meetings, rather than parish council meetings.
Wincle has a pub, brewery and school. There are several listed buildings and scheduled monum ...
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
William Thomas Astbury FRS ( ...
.
West Park Museum, situated to the north of the main entrance, was opened in 1898. It was donated to the town by Marianne Brocklehurst
Marianne Brocklehurst (1832–1898) was an English traveller and collector of Egyptian Antiquities, Egyptian antiquities. She supported a number of Egyptian excavations and donated most of her collection of antiquities to the West Park Museum, Wes ...
, a collector of Egyptian antiquities. The building, of brick with terracotta
Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...
dressings and a clerestory
A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, 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 facilities 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