Leazes Park
Encyclopedia
Leazes Park is a park in Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
. It lies to the west of the city centre. It is the city's oldest park, opened in 1873. It contains a lake above the course of the Lort Burn
. It is next to St James' Park and the Royal Victoria Infirmary
.
Leazes Park is separated from Spital Tongues
by Castle Leazes
, an area of common land similar to the Town Moor
.
for ‘ready access to some open ground for the purpose of health and recreation’ and a year later a special committee was set up to try to find a location for a park. Aldermen Harle and Hamond took up the challenge and campaigned for a park and eventually succeeded in having Leazes Park created on a part of the Leazes Town Moor.
On the 23 December 1873 Leazes Park was officially opened by Alderman Sir Charles Hamond. It became the first public park created on Tyneside.
John Fulton, the Town Surveyor, laid out Leazes Park similar to other parks being built in Britain at that time. The layout centres on the lake. The Bandstand and Terrace were added and later the whole park was surrounded with metal railings.
The grand Jubilee gates were added to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria and a Palm House was built. In 1905 a bust of Alderman Sir Charles Hamond was erected as the centrepiece to the Terrace and the park was then complete.
The park continued to develop with deer, aviaries, tennis, and croquet until the 1980s when it was in need of refurbishment. The refurbishment became possible when the park was awarded £3.7 million from the National Lottery
in 2001.
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies to the west of the city centre. It is the city's oldest park, opened in 1873. It contains a lake above the course of the Lort Burn
Lort Burn
The Lort Burn is a subterranean burn in Newcastle upon Tyne. It used to flow through the centre of the city into the Tyne but was essentially used as an open sewer, particularly unpleasant since the meat markets backed onto it. The name may derive from the Old Norse 'lortr' meaning 'filth' or...
. It is next to St James' Park and the Royal Victoria Infirmary
Royal Victoria Infirmary
Originally founded as the Newcastle Infirmary in 1751, the Royal Victoria Infirmary , in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, was opened on 11 July 1906 by Edward VII on of Town Moor given by the Corporation and Freemen. The fully furnished and equipped hospital, containing twenty wards, a nurses' home,...
.
Leazes Park is separated from Spital Tongues
Spital Tongues
Spital Tongues is a historic area of Newcastle upon Tyne, located north west of the city centre.Its unusual name is believed to be derived from 'spital' – a corruption of the word 'hospital' that is quite commonly found in UK place names - and 'tongues', meaning outlying pieces of land...
by Castle Leazes
Castle Leazes
Castle Leazes is a piece of common land in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated in an area which separates Leazes Park and Spital Tongues.This area of land has been considered as a possible site for a replacement stadium by Newcastle United football club, particularly in the mid-1990s...
, an area of common land similar to the Town Moor
Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne
The Town Moor is a large area of common land in Newcastle upon Tyne. It covers an area of around 400ha, and is larger than Hyde Park and Hampstead Heath combined, stretching from the city centre and Spital Tongues in the south out to Cowgate/Kenton Bar to the west, Gosforth to the north and...
.
History
The creation of a Leazes Park was a drawn out process. In September 1857 3,000 working men petitioned Newcastle CouncilNewcastle City Council
Newcastle City Council is the local government authority for Newcastle upon Tyne, a city in Tyne and Wear, England. The council consists of 78 councillors, three for each of the city's 26 wards...
for ‘ready access to some open ground for the purpose of health and recreation’ and a year later a special committee was set up to try to find a location for a park. Aldermen Harle and Hamond took up the challenge and campaigned for a park and eventually succeeded in having Leazes Park created on a part of the Leazes Town Moor.
On the 23 December 1873 Leazes Park was officially opened by Alderman Sir Charles Hamond. It became the first public park created on Tyneside.
John Fulton, the Town Surveyor, laid out Leazes Park similar to other parks being built in Britain at that time. The layout centres on the lake. The Bandstand and Terrace were added and later the whole park was surrounded with metal railings.
The grand Jubilee gates were added to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria and a Palm House was built. In 1905 a bust of Alderman Sir Charles Hamond was erected as the centrepiece to the Terrace and the park was then complete.
The park continued to develop with deer, aviaries, tennis, and croquet until the 1980s when it was in need of refurbishment. The refurbishment became possible when the park was awarded £3.7 million from the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
in 2001.