Platt Fields Park
Encyclopedia
Platt Fields Park is a park
off Wilmslow Road in Fallowfield
, Manchester
, England. It is home to Platt Hall, and was originally known as the Platt Estate or the Platt Hall Estate. It is one of Manchester's principal parks, and used to be known as "the lungs of the city".
, which is used for boating
and fishing
. The lake has an island sanctuary in the middle, as well as a lakeside visitors' centre and a boathouse
. The park also contains part of Gore Brook and part of the Nico (Mickle) Ditch
.
There are gardens of different kinds, including community orchard gardens, which contain fern
s, rose
s and heather
s. There is also an educational garden and an environmental area, as well as Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee gardens and an Eco Arts garden near to the boating lake. There is a Shakespearean garden located in the Ashfield part of the park in the south east corner that was designed to have only plants mentioned in Shakespeare's works. The Ashfield area also has an arch from the nave of Manchester Cathedral
, which was previously located at Manley Hall for a time. Ashfield was added to the park at a later date: it was formerly the site of Ashfield House and was donated to the City by Sir Edward Donner (1839–1934).
There is a labyrinth
and picnic area, a Veterans' pavilion and a pair of children's playground
s. One playground is for toddler
s up to age 5, with the other for kids up to the age of 9. Both are located near to the Lakeside Centre. Sports facilities include a pair of bowling green
s and courts for basketball, five-a-side, roller hockey, tennis, as well as a mini soccer pitch, cycle pathways and a skate park. A new BMX track was completed at the South end of the park in the summer of 2008.
There are three dedicated show fields in the park, which have the infrastructure to host large and small scale national and local events. Events hosted in the park have included the Manchester Mela and Eid Festivals, as well as annual fireworks and bonfire displays. Until 2003 the site hosted the Manchester Flower Show. Facilities-wise, the site has a car park with disabled parking and toilets. The site also has a park office.
Over 43 languages are spoken round the park. It has the oldest Park Friends Group in the country which is named "The Friends of Platt Fields" and was formed in 1992.
for 300 years. The current hall, a listed Georgian building, was built by John and Deborah Carill-Worsley to the designs of Carr of York, later moderated by Timothy Lightoler, in 1746 at a cost of £10,000. It replaced a timbered black and white building that had been the home of Charles Worsley
, one of Cromwell's
lieutenants and Major General for Lancashire, Cheshire and Derbyshire during the interregnum
.
, who had lost the use of the Birch Chapel where he had been installed by the Parliamentarian office Thomas Birch in 1672. The congregation began as Independents (Congregationalists) and became Unitarian during the early 19th century. The ministers succeeding Finch were Robert Hesketh, John Whitaker, Robert Andrews
, John Houghton, Richard Meanley, George Checkley, Joseph Lawton Siddall, William Whitelegge (1810–1865), S. Alfred Steinthal, and Charles Thomas Poynting.
Since it ceased to be used for worship in 1970 it has been used by various local societies (since 1977). The graveyard, which used to be larger, is surrounded by Platt Fields Park.
, and called the Platt Hall Estate. The park was landscaped by William Emes
in 1768. The Worsley family owned the estate until 1907.
By the early twentieth century, the site was a country park
with a mansion
, though the estate was gradually surrounded by ever-increasing housing, causing Elizabeth Tindal-Carill-Worsley to put the estate on the market in 1907. It soon became apparent that the park was at grave risk of being sold for development and there was even mention of tearing down the Hall and using the bricks for housing. William Royle was prominent in mobilising support for the Corporation to purchase the estate in order to save the park and house for future generations. This led to the Lord Mayor of Manchester calling a town meeting
, at which it was decided to purchase the estate for public parkland, leading to its purchase in 1908 at a cost of £59,975.
During a time of high unemployment during the winter of 1908 and 1909, over 700 men relaid the park, including planting banks with shrubs and trees, diverting the Gore Brook and creating a lake and island covering just over 6 acres (24,281.2 m²). Local legend speaks of a tunnel running from the boathouse, underneath the lake (only a few feet deep) to somewhere on the island. The park, named Platt Fields Park, was formally opened on 7 May 1910 by the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Sir Charles Behrens. At some point over the following five years, a half acre paddling pool was constructed. The park was used for a variety of sports, including tennis
, football, bowling
and cricket
. More work was carried out during another time of high unemployment, between 1919 and 1925, when the park and playing fields were levelled, and bowling greens and tennis courts were constructed, as well as a bathing pool. A Speakers' Corner
was once located near to the adjacent Holy Trinity Platt Church
.
The park had a tennis pavilion, which was built in 1926, but was demolished in January 2006 after being empty for several years while waiting to be converted for use by disabled children by the Social Services Department. The park also used to have a Pets Corner and Animal Park, as well as a children's playground, a cafe, and rose gardens and herbaceous borders. Part of pets corner was actually set in a rectangular sunken area. This area was the open air swimming pool.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
off Wilmslow Road in Fallowfield
Fallowfield
Ladybarn is the part of Fallowfield to the south-east. Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre is used by the University of Manchester: it was built by Edward Walters for Sir Joseph Whitworth, as were the Firs Botanical Grounds.-Religion:...
, 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. It is home to Platt Hall, and was originally known as the Platt Estate or the Platt Hall Estate. It is one of Manchester's principal parks, and used to be known as "the lungs of the city".
Description
The centrepiece of the park is a large pleasure lakeLake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
, which is used for boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. The lake has an island sanctuary in the middle, as well as a lakeside visitors' centre and a boathouse
Boathouse
A boathouse is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats stored are rowing boats...
. The park also contains part of Gore Brook and part of the Nico (Mickle) Ditch
Nico Ditch
Nico Ditch is a six mile long linear earthwork running between Ashton-under-Lyne and Stretford in Greater Manchester, England. It may have been dug as a defensive fortification, but more likely it was intended to be a boundary marker...
.
There are gardens of different kinds, including community orchard gardens, which contain fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s and heather
Erica
Erica ,the heaths or heathers, is a genus of approximately 860 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. The English common names "heath" and "heather" are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance....
s. There is also an educational garden and an environmental area, as well as Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee gardens and an Eco Arts garden near to the boating lake. There is a Shakespearean garden located in the Ashfield part of the park in the south east corner that was designed to have only plants mentioned in Shakespeare's works. The Ashfield area also has an arch from the nave of Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral is a medieval church on Victoria Street in central Manchester and is the seat of the Bishop of Manchester. The cathedral's official name is The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester...
, which was previously located at Manley Hall for a time. Ashfield was added to the park at a later date: it was formerly the site of Ashfield House and was donated to the City by Sir Edward Donner (1839–1934).
There is a labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
and picnic area, a Veterans' pavilion and a pair of children's playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
s. One playground is for toddler
Toddler
A toddler is a young child, usually defined as being between the ages of one and three. Registered nurse, midwife and author, Robin Barker, states 'Any time from eight months onwards your baby will begin to realise he is a separate person from you...
s up to age 5, with the other for kids up to the age of 9. Both are located near to the Lakeside Centre. Sports facilities include a pair of bowling green
Bowling green
A bowling green is a finely-laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of lawn for playing the game of lawn bowls.Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on them...
s and courts for basketball, five-a-side, roller hockey, tennis, as well as a mini soccer pitch, cycle pathways and a skate park. A new BMX track was completed at the South end of the park in the summer of 2008.
There are three dedicated show fields in the park, which have the infrastructure to host large and small scale national and local events. Events hosted in the park have included the Manchester Mela and Eid Festivals, as well as annual fireworks and bonfire displays. Until 2003 the site hosted the Manchester Flower Show. Facilities-wise, the site has a car park with disabled parking and toilets. The site also has a park office.
Over 43 languages are spoken round the park. It has the oldest Park Friends Group in the country which is named "The Friends of Platt Fields" and was formed in 1992.
Platt Hall
Platt Hall was the home of the Worsley familyWorsley Baronets
The Worsley family is an English family that is derived from Sir Elias de Workesley, a Norman knight who was a youth at the time of the Norman conquest...
for 300 years. The current hall, a listed Georgian building, was built by John and Deborah Carill-Worsley to the designs of Carr of York, later moderated by Timothy Lightoler, in 1746 at a cost of £10,000. It replaced a timbered black and white building that had been the home of Charles Worsley
Charles Worsley
Charles Worsley was an English soldier and politician. He was an ardent supporter of Oliver Cromwell and was an officer in the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War and the Interregnum...
, one of Cromwell's
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
lieutenants and Major General for Lancashire, Cheshire and Derbyshire during the interregnum
Rule of the Major-Generals
The Rule of the Major-Generals from August 1655 – January 1657, was a period of direct military government during Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate.England was divided into 10 regions each governed by a Major-General who answered to the Lord Protector....
.
Gallery of Costume
Platt Hall contains the The Gallery of Costume. The collection spans the era from the 17th century to the present day, covers both men, women and children, and includes both high fashion and the dress of working people. The collection is still growing, and includes present-day designer wear, sports and leisure clothes and underwear. The collection consists of over 20,000 items, and is divided up into a series of themes, which consist of "Designers", "Dressing Up, Dressing Down", "Clothes for Work", "Recycled Fashion", "Sexuality", "Materials and Making", "Close Up", "Sports and Leisure" and "Underwear".Platt Chapel
The chapel is on Wilmslow Road south of Grangethorpe Road; the present structure is a rebuilding of 1790, then modified in 1874-75. It was a family chapel of the Worsleys of Platt Hall built in 1699, and was constructed for Henry FinchHenry Finch (minister)
-Biography:Finch was born at Standish, Lancashire, and baptised on 8 September 1633. He was educated at the grammar schools of Standish and Wigan. Calamy does not say at what university he graduated...
, who had lost the use of the Birch Chapel where he had been installed by the Parliamentarian office Thomas Birch in 1672. The congregation began as Independents (Congregationalists) and became Unitarian during the early 19th century. The ministers succeeding Finch were Robert Hesketh, John Whitaker, Robert Andrews
Robert Andrews (translator)
Robert Andrews was an English Dissenter, known as a poet and translator of Virgil.-Life:He was descended from an eminent nonconformist family which had lived for nearly two centuries at Little Lever and at Rivington Hall, near Bolton, Lancashire. He received his theological education under Dr....
, John Houghton, Richard Meanley, George Checkley, Joseph Lawton Siddall, William Whitelegge (1810–1865), S. Alfred Steinthal, and Charles Thomas Poynting.
Since it ceased to be used for worship in 1970 it has been used by various local societies (since 1977). The graveyard, which used to be larger, is surrounded by Platt Fields Park.
History
The first known mention of the area is from 1150, at which time the "lands of Platt" were given to the Knights of St John by "Matthew, Son of William". Gore Brook is mentioned as being present at the time. The Platt family obtained the estate in 1225, and owned the land for the next 400 years. In 1625 it passed to the Worsley family, and was then a country park bordering on the Cheshire PlainCheshire Plain
The Cheshire Plain is a relatively flat expanse of lowland situated almost entirely within the county of Cheshire in northwest England. It is bounded by the hills of North Wales to the west, and the Peak District of Derbyshire and North Staffordshire to the east and southeast...
, and called the Platt Hall Estate. The park was landscaped by William Emes
William Emes
-Biography:Details of his early life are not known but in 1756 he was appointed head gardener to Sir Nathaniel Curzon at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. He left this post in 1760 when Robert Adam was given responsibility for the entire management of the grounds. During his time at Kedleston he had...
in 1768. The Worsley family owned the estate until 1907.
By the early twentieth century, the site was a country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
with a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
, though the estate was gradually surrounded by ever-increasing housing, causing Elizabeth Tindal-Carill-Worsley to put the estate on the market in 1907. It soon became apparent that the park was at grave risk of being sold for development and there was even mention of tearing down the Hall and using the bricks for housing. William Royle was prominent in mobilising support for the Corporation to purchase the estate in order to save the park and house for future generations. This led to the Lord Mayor of Manchester calling a town meeting
Town meeting
A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
, at which it was decided to purchase the estate for public parkland, leading to its purchase in 1908 at a cost of £59,975.
During a time of high unemployment during the winter of 1908 and 1909, over 700 men relaid the park, including planting banks with shrubs and trees, diverting the Gore Brook and creating a lake and island covering just over 6 acres (24,281.2 m²). Local legend speaks of a tunnel running from the boathouse, underneath the lake (only a few feet deep) to somewhere on the island. The park, named Platt Fields Park, was formally opened on 7 May 1910 by the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Sir Charles Behrens. At some point over the following five years, a half acre paddling pool was constructed. The park was used for a variety of sports, including tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, football, bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. More work was carried out during another time of high unemployment, between 1919 and 1925, when the park and playing fields were levelled, and bowling greens and tennis courts were constructed, as well as a bathing pool. A Speakers' Corner
Speakers' Corner
A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate and discussion are allowed. The original and most noted is in the north-east corner of Hyde Park in London, United Kingdom. Speakers there may speak on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful, although...
was once located near to the adjacent Holy Trinity Platt Church
Holy Trinity Platt Church
Holy Trinity Platt Church , is in Platt Lane, Rusholme, Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Hulme, the archdeaconry of Manchester, and the diocese of Manchester. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building...
.
The park had a tennis pavilion, which was built in 1926, but was demolished in January 2006 after being empty for several years while waiting to be converted for use by disabled children by the Social Services Department. The park also used to have a Pets Corner and Animal Park, as well as a children's playground, a cafe, and rose gardens and herbaceous borders. Part of pets corner was actually set in a rectangular sunken area. This area was the open air swimming pool.
External links
- Gallery of Costume - official site
- http://rusholmearchive.org