Philips Park
Encyclopedia
Philips Park lies in the valley of the River Medlock
, in the lower part of Clayton, a district of Manchester
, England. The river runs through the park.
Philips Park was opened in 1846, making it one of the world's first municipal parks. The establishment of the park was largely due to the efforts of Mark Philips, a local MP committed to creating parks for the use of the working people of the city. Thanks in large part to Philips' campaigning, £6,200 was raised by public subscription to purchase the land from Lady Hoghton. Philips Park was named in his honour. Philips Park was one of two public parks in Manchester and one in Salford established by public subscription and opened on the same day in 1846. The others were Queens Park and Peel Park
. Philips Park is built on the site of Bradford
Hall in the Clayton township. The three parks were designed by Joshua Major
(1786-1866) who won the commission in a competition.
The park is about three kilometres east of Manchester city centre and covers 12.5 hectares, bounded to the north by the River Irwell which flows westwards in an open terracotta brick culvert with level banks and central channel within stone walls which retain embankments rising 2.5 metres on both sides. To the west is Alan Turing
Way (formerly Mill Street) which has a high stone boundary wall topped with 20th-century railings between stone piers. The southern boundary has a high 19th-century brick wall with housing to the west end and a bus depot to the east end. To the south-east the boundary is a early 20th-century brick-arched mineral railway. The park is adjacent to the City of Manchester Stadium
, the Manchester Velodrome
and Philips Park Cemetery. The area was once heavily industrialised and the site of Bradford Colliery
and much of the area has been cleared and landscaped as a country park.
Two archaeological finds have been made in the park: a Roman
coin minted in the reign of Emperor Gallienus
and a halberd
(type of spear) dating back to the 16th century. The park's visitor centre is housed in a lodge commissioned in 1868 from the architect Alfred Derbyshire, who also designed the Palace Theatre, Manchester
.
In 2001, Philips Park was awarded Grade II listed status on the National Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
River Medlock
The River Medlock is a river of Greater Manchester in North West England. It rises near Oldham and flows, south and west, for ten miles to join the River Irwell in the extreme southwest of Manchester city centre.-Source:...
, in the lower part of Clayton, a district of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England. The river runs through the park.
Philips Park was opened in 1846, making it one of the world's first municipal parks. The establishment of the park was largely due to the efforts of Mark Philips, a local MP committed to creating parks for the use of the working people of the city. Thanks in large part to Philips' campaigning, £6,200 was raised by public subscription to purchase the land from Lady Hoghton. Philips Park was named in his honour. Philips Park was one of two public parks in Manchester and one in Salford established by public subscription and opened on the same day in 1846. The others were Queens Park and Peel Park
Peel Park, Salford
Peel Park is a public urban park in Salford, Greater Manchester, England located on the flood plain of the River Irwell below Salford Crescent and adjacent to the University of Salford...
. Philips Park is built on the site of Bradford
Bradford, Manchester
Bradford is a district and electoral ward in the city of Manchester, England, two miles north east of the city centre. Bradford was for many years an economically deprived area but has undergone regeneration with the building of the City of Manchester Stadium which hosted the 2002 Commonwealth...
Hall in the Clayton township. The three parks were designed by Joshua Major
Joshua Major
Joshua Major was an English landscape gardener and designer, born on 28 August 1786 in Owston, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire. His parents were Richard Major, an estate labourer, and Mary, née Bramma, and he was the youngest of their three children.Major founded a nursery garden at Knowsthorpe...
(1786-1866) who won the commission in a competition.
The park is about three kilometres east of Manchester city centre and covers 12.5 hectares, bounded to the north by the River Irwell which flows westwards in an open terracotta brick culvert with level banks and central channel within stone walls which retain embankments rising 2.5 metres on both sides. To the west is Alan Turing
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
Way (formerly Mill Street) which has a high stone boundary wall topped with 20th-century railings between stone piers. The southern boundary has a high 19th-century brick wall with housing to the west end and a bus depot to the east end. To the south-east the boundary is a early 20th-century brick-arched mineral railway. The park is adjacent to the City of Manchester Stadium
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...
, the Manchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome is an indoor cycle-racing track or velodrome in Manchester, northwest England. It opened in September 1994 and is the leading indoor Olympic-standard track in the United Kingdom. It houses the National Cycling Centre and British Cycling...
and Philips Park Cemetery. The area was once heavily industrialised and the site of Bradford Colliery
Bradford Colliery
Bradford Colliery was a coal mine on the Central Manchester Coalfield in Bradford, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Although part of the Manchester Coalfield, the seams of the Bradford Coalfield correspond more closely to the Oldham Coalfield...
and much of the area has been cleared and landscaped as a country park.
Two archaeological finds have been made in the park: a Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
coin minted in the reign of Emperor Gallienus
Gallienus
Gallienus was Roman Emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and alone from 260 to 268. He took control of the Empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
and a halberd
Halberd
A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on...
(type of spear) dating back to the 16th century. The park's visitor centre is housed in a lodge commissioned in 1868 from the architect Alfred Derbyshire, who also designed the Palace Theatre, Manchester
Palace Theatre, Manchester
The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent...
.
In 2001, Philips Park was awarded Grade II listed status on the National Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.