Camperdown Country Park
Encyclopedia
Camperdown Country Park, often known as just Camperdown Park, is a public park in the Camperdown
area of Dundee
, Scotland
. The park comprises the former grounds of Camperdown House, a 19th-century mansion, which was bought by the city in 1946. Camperdown Park is home to a wildlife centre and recreational facilities. It is the largest park in Dundee, stretching to 400 acres (1.6 km²). Over 190 species of tree are found in the park.
Camperdown House is "the largest Greek Revival house remaining in Scotland." It is protected as a category A listed building, and the park is included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
, the national listing of significant parks.
of Dundee during the 18th century. In 1797, during the French Revolutionary Wars
, Admiral Adam Duncan (1731–1804) commanded the Royal Navy
fleet that defeated the Dutch at the Battle of Camperdown
. He was rewarded by being raised to the peerage
as Viscount Duncan.
In the 1820s, his son Robert, 2nd Viscount Duncan, commissioned William Burn
to design a new house in the Greek Revival style. The earlier house was demolished, and the new house was completed in 1828. Lord Duncan renamed the house and estate Camperdown in memory of his father's victory, and in 1831 he was created Earl of Camperdown
by William IV
. The parklands surrounding the house were laid out by Lord Camperdown, with the assistance of his forester David Taylor, who along with his son planted most of the estate's trees between 1805 and 1859.
After the death of the 4th Earl of Camperdown in 1933, the earldom became extinct, and Camperdown was inherited by a cousin, Georgiana, widow of the 7th Earl of Buckinghamshire
. On her death in 1937, the contents were sold, and the house followed, being bought by the Corporation of Dundee in 1946. Camperdown Country Park officially opened to the public in 1949.
as the origin of the Camperdown Elm
(Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii'), a short, broad, "weeping" variety of elm. The tree was discovered in around 1835-1840 by Lord Camperdown's head forester, David Taylor, who noticed a mutant contorted Wych Elm
branch sprawling along the ground. The earl's gardener produced the first Camperdown Elm by grafting
it to the trunk of a normal Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra). Every Camperdown Elm is from a cutting taken from that original tree and is grafted on a U. glabra trunk.
The Camperdown Wildlife Centre is home to over 300 animals, of 50 different species. The centre contains mainly mammals and birds. Comet and Star, the two brown bears
, are one of the most popular places in the centre. Britain's rarest mammal, the pine marten, can also be found in the centre. Camperdown Wildlife Centre received its "zoo licence" in September 2003. The park made news headlines in 1986 when "Jeremy", its female European brown bear
, bit the arm off ten-year-old Ross Prendergast, who had sneaked into the park after hours. The bear enclosure has been enlarged since the incident, and there are now two different bears at the park.
Camperdown, Dundee
Camperdown is an area of Dundee, Scotland, best known for Camperdown Park, which is the largest park in the city.The name is Dutch in origin, being the English version of Kamperduin, a village of the North Holland province on the North Sea coast of the Netherlands...
area of Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The park comprises the former grounds of Camperdown House, a 19th-century mansion, which was bought by the city in 1946. Camperdown Park is home to a wildlife centre and recreational facilities. It is the largest park in Dundee, stretching to 400 acres (1.6 km²). Over 190 species of tree are found in the park.
Camperdown House is "the largest Greek Revival house remaining in Scotland." It is protected as a category A listed building, and the park is included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a continually evolving list...
, the national listing of significant parks.
History
The Camperdown estate was originally known as Lundie, and was bought by Alexander Duncan in 1682. A 16th-century house stood on the estate at this time. Several members of the family served as ProvostProvost (civil)
A provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...
of Dundee during the 18th century. In 1797, during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, Admiral Adam Duncan (1731–1804) commanded the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
fleet that defeated the Dutch at the Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
. He was rewarded by being raised to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Viscount Duncan.
In the 1820s, his son Robert, 2nd Viscount Duncan, commissioned William Burn
William Burn
William Burn was a Scottish architect, pioneer of the Scottish Baronial style.He was born in Edinburgh, the son of architect Robert Burn, and educated at the Royal High School. After training with the architect of the British Museum, Sir Robert Smirke, he returned to Edinburgh in 1812...
to design a new house in the Greek Revival style. The earlier house was demolished, and the new house was completed in 1828. Lord Duncan renamed the house and estate Camperdown in memory of his father's victory, and in 1831 he was created Earl of Camperdown
Earl of Camperdown
Earl of Camperdown, of Lundie in the County of Forfar and of Gleneagles in the County of Perth, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1831 for Robert Haldane-Duncan, 2nd Viscount Duncan...
by William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
. The parklands surrounding the house were laid out by Lord Camperdown, with the assistance of his forester David Taylor, who along with his son planted most of the estate's trees between 1805 and 1859.
After the death of the 4th Earl of Camperdown in 1933, the earldom became extinct, and Camperdown was inherited by a cousin, Georgiana, widow of the 7th Earl of Buckinghamshire
Sidney Hobart-Hampden-Mercer-Henderson, 7th Earl of Buckinghamshire
Sidney Carr Hobart-Hampden-Mercer-Henderson, 7th Earl of Buckinghamshire OBE DL , known as Lord Hobart from 1875 to 1885, was a British Liberal politician....
. On her death in 1937, the contents were sold, and the house followed, being bought by the Corporation of Dundee in 1946. Camperdown Country Park officially opened to the public in 1949.
Camperdown Elm
Camperdown is notable in horticultureHorticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
as the origin of the Camperdown Elm
Camperdown Elm
The Camperdown Elm Ulmus glabra Camperdownii is a cultivar which cannot reproduce from seed. Although still classed as a cultivar of U. glabra, the tree was considered a nothomorph of U. × hollandica var. vegeta by Green , not U...
(Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii'), a short, broad, "weeping" variety of elm. The tree was discovered in around 1835-1840 by Lord Camperdown's head forester, David Taylor, who noticed a mutant contorted Wych Elm
Wych Elm
Ulmus glabra, the Wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Urals, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese in Greece; it is also found in Iran...
branch sprawling along the ground. The earl's gardener produced the first Camperdown Elm by grafting
Grafting
Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together. This vascular joining is called inosculation...
it to the trunk of a normal Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra). Every Camperdown Elm is from a cutting taken from that original tree and is grafted on a U. glabra trunk.
Wildlife Centre
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
, are one of the most popular places in the centre. Britain's rarest mammal, the pine marten, can also be found in the centre. Camperdown Wildlife Centre received its "zoo licence" in September 2003. The park made news headlines in 1986 when "Jeremy", its female European brown bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
, bit the arm off ten-year-old Ross Prendergast, who had sneaked into the park after hours. The bear enclosure has been enlarged since the incident, and there are now two different bears at the park.