West Park

About

Formerly called the People's Park, Wolverhampton's West Park was opened on 6 June 1881. It is Grade II* listed in Historic England's Register of Parks and Gardens.

Background: The site chosen for the first of the large parks in Wolverhampton was the Race Course, or Broad Meadows, owned by the Duke of Cleveland. On 12 March 1879, Alderman Samuel Dickinson invited landscape gardeners to compete for the layout of the park. The winner of the £50 prize was Richard Hartland Vertegans of Chad Valley Nurseries, Edgbaston, Birmingham. This was several years before Vertegans designed Victoria Park, Handsworth, Birmingham. The remit from the council included:

Ornamental lakes, 8 acres Areas for volunteer drill, archery, cricket and bowls, 12 acres The park was opened on 6 June 1881 by the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Alderman John Jones. The bandstand was presented by the town's long serving M.P., Rt. Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers, on 29 May 1882. Now Grade II listed, it was restored in 2002 at a cost of £70,000. The conservatory was opened in July 1896 by the widow of former Mayor Alderman Samuel Dickinson. Built at a cost of £1,500, it had been funded by the 1893 Floral Fêtes, one of a series...