Wellington Square, Perth
Encyclopedia
Wellington Square is a public park located on Wellington Street
in the suburb of East Perth
in Perth, Western Australia
.
in the 1890s, the park was the main cricket
ground in Perth.
The ground was cleared in 1898 to form a series of cricket
fields. The ground was named in honour of the Duke of Wellington
, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
at the time of the settlement of the Swan River Colony
.
In 1901 the ground was used for four West Australian Football League
matches.
Between 1906 and 1909 West Australian Football League
team East Perth
were based at Wellington Square but played home games elsewhere.
Perth Rugby Club (later Perth-Bayswater) used the square from the late 1920s as a training venue.
Wellington Street, Perth
Wellington Street is the northernmost of the four primary east-west streets in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It contains several of Perth's key facilities, including the new Harbour Town shopping development, the Wellington Street Bus Station and the Perth railway...
in the suburb of East Perth
East Perth, Western Australia
East Perth is an inner suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located next to the Perth CBD.Primarily an industrial area in the early twentieth century, it was the location of the East Perth gas works, East Perth Power Station , the East Perth railway yard, and East Perth engine sheds.A considerable...
in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
History
The park was originally a swamp and was drained in the 1830s. It was originally used to exercise horses. The ground was known as the Recreation Ground or the "Rec". Prior to the construction of the WACA GroundWACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
in the 1890s, the park was the main 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...
ground in Perth.
The ground was cleared in 1898 to form a series of 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...
fields. The ground was named in honour of the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
at the time of the settlement of the Swan River Colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
.
In 1901 the ground was used for four West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
matches.
Between 1906 and 1909 West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
team East Perth
East Perth Football Club
The East Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Royals, is an Australian rules football club that is a member of the West Australian Football League...
were based at Wellington Square but played home games elsewhere.
Perth Rugby Club (later Perth-Bayswater) used the square from the late 1920s as a training venue.