Western Park
Encyclopedia
Western Park is a park
and surrounding suburb
located in West End
of Leicester
.
The park itself was bought for £30,000 in 1897 and at 178 acre (0.72034108 km²) is the biggest in Leicester. While the park has a "blend of meadows, mature woods and hedgerows" the park also contains a large number of sporting facilities including a bmx track
, a skate ramp
, 2 Bowling greens
, 5 Football pitches, 6 Cricket pitches
(all with associated changing facilities) and 6 Tennis courts
. Until the 1950s the Park's tennis courts, then located to the far west of the Park, were the home of Westcotes Church Tennis Club and then Westfields Lawn Tennis Club. The club later moved to a site on the nearby Eastfield Road; the courts on Western Park are now open to the public.
The former park warden's lodge is home to the environmental charity Groundworks Leicester & Leicestershire, formerly known as Environ. This building is now called the "Eco House" after being converted as a show house, used to demonstrate ways of making homes more environmentally friendly. It is open to the public and holds one-off events as well as receiving visits from local schools. The Eco House and the neighbouring recycling centre are parts of the larger Groundwork UK
network.
A voluntary group, The Friends of Western Park, works with the city council to "improve the park for everyone".
The area of Leicester sharing the park's name is a generally affluent area to the South and East of the park. The suburb also contains Dovelands Primary School which caters for 450 4-11 year olds as well as a small additional set of nursery school
children, St. Anne's Parish Church, and the aforementioned Westfields Tennis Club. The club has four floodlit courts and caters to both children and adults from the local area and beyond.
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...
and surrounding suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
located in West End
West End of Leicester
The West End of Leicester, England is an inner city area just west of the city centre, on the opposite side of the River Soar . The main roads in the area are Braunstone Gate, Hinckley Road and Narborough Road....
of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
.
The park itself was bought for £30,000 in 1897 and at 178 acre (0.72034108 km²) is the biggest in Leicester. While the park has a "blend of meadows, mature woods and hedgerows" the park also contains a large number of sporting facilities including a bmx track
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
, a skate ramp
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
, 2 Bowling greens
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
, 5 Football pitches, 6 Cricket pitches
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...
(all with associated changing facilities) and 6 Tennis courts
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...
. Until the 1950s the Park's tennis courts, then located to the far west of the Park, were the home of Westcotes Church Tennis Club and then Westfields Lawn Tennis Club. The club later moved to a site on the nearby Eastfield Road; the courts on Western Park are now open to the public.
The former park warden's lodge is home to the environmental charity Groundworks Leicester & Leicestershire, formerly known as Environ. This building is now called the "Eco House" after being converted as a show house, used to demonstrate ways of making homes more environmentally friendly. It is open to the public and holds one-off events as well as receiving visits from local schools. The Eco House and the neighbouring recycling centre are parts of the larger Groundwork UK
Groundwork UK
Groundwork UK is an environmental organisation in the United Kingdom.-History:In 1980, the Countryside Commission launched an initiative known as UFEX80. This was re-branded as "Operation Groundwork" in 1981, and the first Groundwork Trust came into being at St. Helens and Knowsley that year...
network.
A voluntary group, The Friends of Western Park, works with the city council to "improve the park for everyone".
The area of Leicester sharing the park's name is a generally affluent area to the South and East of the park. The suburb also contains Dovelands Primary School which caters for 450 4-11 year olds as well as a small additional set of nursery school
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
children, St. Anne's Parish Church, and the aforementioned Westfields Tennis Club. The club has four floodlit courts and caters to both children and adults from the local area and beyond.
Council Election result, 2007
External links
- http://www.westernparkgazette.co.uk/ Western Park Gazette - Full colour community magazine for homes and business in and around Leicester's Western Park
- http://www.dovelands.leicester.sch.uk/home/ Dovelands Primary School
- http://www.friendsofwesternpark.co.uk/ Friends of Western Park
- http://www.gwll.org.uk/ Groundwork Leicester & Leicestershire
- http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/lc/parks-green-spaces/main-parks/western-park/westernpark/ Leicester City Council's Western Park website
- http://www.westfieldstennisclub.co.uk/ Westfields Lawn Tennis Club