Pearson Park
Encyclopedia
Pearson Park was the first public park to be opened in Kingston upon Hull
, England
. It is situated about 1 miles (1.6 km) northwest of the city centre of Hull with its main entrance on Beverley Road and its western boundary adjoining Princes Avenue
. It provides a range of popular leisure facilities for local residents and includes a number of historic architectural features. The land for the park was donated, in 1860, by Zachariah Charles Pearson (1821–91) to mark his first term in office as mayor of Hull. Pearson held on to 12 acres (5 ha) of land surrounding the park to speculatively build villa residences. Pearson resigned because of financial problems half way through his second term as mayor. He had bought a large fleet of ships on credit and tried to run arms through the Federal blockade during the American Civil War
. The venture failed and all his ships were captured. He spent the last 29 years of his life living in a small terraced house in a corner of the park.
tree to mark the occasion.
Several structures within the park, are now listed as features of special interest. The listed structures are:
The top-floor flat of a similar house, number 32, owned by the University of Hull
was the home of poet Philip Larkin
for 18 years from 1956. This vantage point was later commemorated in the poem "High Windows".
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, 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 is situated about 1 miles (1.6 km) northwest of the city centre of Hull with its main entrance on Beverley Road and its western boundary adjoining Princes Avenue
Princes Avenue (Hull)
The Avenues is an area of high status Victorian housing located in the northwest of Kingston upon Hull. It is formed by four main tree lined straight avenues running west off the NNE/SSW running Princes Avenue....
. It provides a range of popular leisure facilities for local residents and includes a number of historic architectural features. The land for the park was donated, in 1860, by Zachariah Charles Pearson (1821–91) to mark his first term in office as mayor of Hull. Pearson held on to 12 acres (5 ha) of land surrounding the park to speculatively build villa residences. Pearson resigned because of financial problems half way through his second term as mayor. He had bought a large fleet of ships on credit and tried to run arms through the Federal blockade during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The venture failed and all his ships were captured. He spent the last 29 years of his life living in a small terraced house in a corner of the park.
150th Anniversary
On 29 August 2010, the local community celebrated the 150th Anniversary of Zachariah Pearson's gift of the land to create Pearson Park. A Victorian themed fun day was held to commemorate the founding of Hull's first public park and 85 of Pearson's descendants helped to plant a Wellingtonia giganteaSequoiadendron
Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and...
tree to mark the occasion.
Features
The 12 acres (5 ha) park was designed by the curator of Hull's Botanic Gardens, James Craig Niven.Several structures within the park, are now listed as features of special interest. The listed structures are:
- The entrance to the park, a cast-iron gateway created in 1863 by Young & Pool.
- An ornate cast-iron canopied drinking fountain erected in 1864
- The east entrance lodge which was built in 1860–1
- A statue of Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United KingdomVictoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
by Thomas Earle in 1861
- A statue of Prince Albert by Thomas Earle in 1868
- The Pearson memorial
- The cupolaCupolaIn architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
from Hull's demolished Town Hall
- Three nearby villas, numbers 43, 50 and 54, built in the 1860s.
The top-floor flat of a similar house, number 32, owned by the University of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
was the home of poet Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
for 18 years from 1956. This vantage point was later commemorated in the poem "High Windows".