Poole Park
| Published: 25th August 2008 20:57 |
Something for Everyone History of Poole Park Friends of Poole ParkEvents in the Park The Trees of Poole Park Contact Information | ||
Something for EveryoneThere is definitely something for everyone at Poole Park. it is the perfect place to relax, eat out, exercise or take part in outdoor hobbies.Here is what the park has to offer: -Sports & ActivitiesTennis, boating, bowls, sailing, wind surfing, cricket, putting, crazy golf, ice skating, bird watching, model boating, walking, nordic walking, fitness trail, cycling and running. Eating OutCentral Park Cafe, Mezza Luna Restaurant and picnic areas For ChildrenTwo children's play areas, miniature train rides and Gus Gorilla's Jungle Playground | ||
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Past and Present | ||
In 1885, Sir Ivor Bertie Guest (Lord Wimbourne of Canford Magna) gave some land to Poole Corporation to use as a 'People Park'. In 1890, the park was opened by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales. It cost £7,630 to create. | ||
Five ornamental gateways, roads and footbaths surround a large saltwater lake, a smaller freshwater lake and a duck pond (which together total 50% of the park), as well as another 50 aches of grassland, shrubs, flowerbeds and trees. | ||
The Borough of Poole and The Friends of Poole Park are determined to retain as far as possible, its established appeal while adapting to the needs of its 21st century users. | ||
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Poole Park's Timeline | ||
| 1875 - London and South West Railway Company laid down track across Parkstone Bay. | ||
| 1885 - Lord Wimbourne gave land to Poole Corporation for a 'People Park' | ||
| 1886 - The tidal sluice gates (known locally as 'The Bunny') were built by The Dorset Foundry Company.Messrs Robert Veitch & Son won a competition to design the Park's layout. They received prize money of £20.The winning design was not entirely practical so John Elford was requested to finish a proposal for the Park's layout. | ||
| 1887 - Elford's plans were accepted and work begun. Early amenities were a bandstand, fountain and a timber tea house. | ||
| 1888 - Both Gate Lodges and Cricket Pavilion built. | ||
| 1890 - Poole Park was opened by the Prince of Wales on 17th January 1890 but the ceremony did not go to plan. Princess Alexandra and several of her children were unable to attend due to illness. A terrific storm ruined the specially but Pavilion. It was decided that the Prince declare the Park open on the railway station platform instead before boarding his Royal train to London. For safety reasons, the ceremony had to be taken place in the booking office indoors. | ||
| 1892 - Cricket ground opened. | ||
| 1912 - An aviary was built. | ||
| 1914 - 1918 - First World War | ||
| 1927 - War Memorial built. | ||
| 1929 - Pitch and putt green created. | ||
| 1930 - Bowling greens created. | ||
| 1939 - 1945 - Second World War. An air raid shelter was provided in the Park in an area known as 'Monkey's Hump', it is now the site of a child's play area. During the war, a rustic bridge over the freshwater lake was destroyed by a German bomb. Fortes ice-cream kiosk was built. | ||
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| 1948 - Tennis courts and miniature railway built. | ||
| 1950 - A model yacht and boat club was founded. | ||
| 1960 - Swan Lake Cafe was built, later renamed Cygnet Cafe. | ||
| 1963 - The zoo was built. | ||
| 1980 - Burma Star Association Mountbatten Memorial. | ||
| 1990 - Poole Park's Centenary was celebrated with a week long festival of sport and entertainment. Poole Pottery produced a commemorative plate. Lord Wimbourne unveiled a 19th century style French fountain. | ||
| 1994 - The zoo closed. | ||
| 1995 - The Park became a Conservation Area. | ||
| 2001 - New Bowling Club Pavilion. | ||
| 2002 - Designated a Grade II English Heritage Listed Park and Garden. Seldown Lodge, East Lodge, Cricket Pavilion and the ornamental gates became 'local listed buildings'. Some trees acquired preservation orders. | ||
| 2005 - A second play area for children was built. | ||
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| 2007 - Cygnet Cafe is renamed Central Park Cafe and an indoor ice rink is added to it. A new restaurant named Mezza Luna is built with panoramic views across the saltwater lake. Five islets and two crescent shape reed beds are created in the saltwater lake to provide extra habitat for birds. |  | |
Spot These Historic Features |
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Gate Pillar Plaques | ||
| Have a look at the decorated pillar plaques on the several entrances to the park. They were created in terracotta by a potter called G. Jennings based in Hamworthy | ||
Poole Park's Victorian Seats | ||
 | Only two of the original Victorian park seats remain, the rest are copies. | |
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Gate Lodges | ||
| The Park has two lodges which were both built in 1888 to house park keepers. Seldown Lodge has a Cart House and Stable block which was occupied by the first gate keeper Albert Saville until his death in 1907. The East Gate Lodge is a smaller single storey building. | ||
| Can you spot this plaque commemorating the opening of the park? | ||
Bicycle Track | ||
| The bicycle track was first laid out in the original park design by Elford in 1880/90. The track is 534 metres in length (just short of a mile) and it encircles the cricket pitch. It is almost certainly one of the earliest construction in this country and reflected this fashionable trend bicycling was for the upper class at this time. |  | |
| Few cycle tracks of this era will survive today | ||
Friends of Poole Park | ||
| The 'Friends of Poole Park' was formed early in 2002 by members of the local community with special interests in the development and future of Poole Park. It has since achieved registration charity status. The 'Friends of Poole Park' is a voluntary organisation supporting the development of the Park, which is widely used by people of Poole and visitors to the town as a valuable recreational and leisure area. | ||
The objectives of the 'Friends of Poole Park' are: -
The 'Friends of Poole Park' believe that this is a project that will have a major impact on both the local community and visitors alike. By becoming a member of the 'Friends of Poole Park', you can be assured that you are supporting an organisation which is pledge to make Poole Park a park to be proud of. | ||
| For more information, please contact: - | ||
The Membership Secretary, Friends of Poole Park 20 Boldre Close, Poole, Dorset. BH12 2HP Email: - info@friendsofpoolepark.co.uk Website: - www.friendsofpoolepark.co.uk Borough of Poole Leisure Services Helpline: - 01202 261306 | ||
Something for Everyone
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Eating Out, lakes, sailing, walking, trees | ||
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trains, flowers, playing, skating, relaxing ... | ||
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history, tennis, fountains, views, kites, bowls, fresh air, running, boats, games, picnics, ice-cream, adventures, ducks & more ...Friends of Poole Park in partnership wit | ||
h Borough of Poole
Flora & Fauna of the ParkTawny owls roost in some of the horse chestnut and fir trees on the edge of the park. The park is home to a number of interesting plants including Parapholis strigosa (Hard Grass), Anagallismtenella (Bog Pimpernel) and Lathyrus Linifolius (Bitter Vetch) which are 'Dorset Notable' and Ruppia cirrhosa (Spiral Tasselweed) which is nationally scarce. |
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| Historical photographs show abundant aquatic vegetation around all the lakes. Maintaining water quality in all the lakes will ensure that the park continues to be a valuable place for wildlife in the densely populated centre of town. | |
Soil & Microclimate | |
| The soils are deep sands and gravel with occasional bands of clay. They are of fairly low fertility but capable of supporting a wide range of tree species. The major factor limiting plant growth is the exposure to salt laden winds from the sea. | |
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Water Quality | |
| This has improved dramatically in recent years by flushing the boating lake regularly with water from Poole Harbour and more recently from dredging. The introduction of the five islands and the two reed beds, with the reed bed planting will also assist in filtering the lake's water. | |
Access to the ParkPedestrian - The park is open to pedestrians at all times and has many entry and exits points for pedestrians from public roads around the park. In the south west, there is a pedestrian subway link under the railway to the Baiter recreation area, Harbourside Park and Poole Quay. To the south east, there is a link through the keyhole bridge to Whitecliff. Vehicular - The park has vehicular entrances at Seldown Lodge, East Gate and Whitecliff Road. Internal roads are designated 'highways', they are closed to traffic early on weekday mornings to stop the park being used as a short cut or parking area by workers in the town centre. Traffic within the park is restricted to 20 miles per hour and spped control humps are placed at numerous locations. Parking is restricted along most roads within the park. | |
Heritage |  |
| Poole park was laid out in 1890 and the area is now a designated Conservation Area to reflect the heritage value. Today's management strives to balance modern leisure needs with protecting this historic setting. | |
| Seldown Lodge, East Gate Lodge, the Cricket Pavilion and all the gate piers are 'Local Listed Buildings'. | |
The Impact of Canada GeeseThere are often excessive numbers of Canada Geese in Poole Park in the daytime causing many problems. The Friends of Poole Park support the control of Canada Geese in the park and believe in humane methods to try to reduce there numbers. At times, Canada Geese become aggressive to humans and other wildfowl in Poole Park; this is probably owing to overcrowding of breeding sites away from the park. |  |
The main food for Canada Geese is grass and that is the reason that geese contaminate many grass areas in the park. Geese feed on the grass in the early mornings when few people are using the park, however, they are mainly attracted to the park by the 'easy food' but not necessarily 'good food' supplied by humans. Canada Geese produce droppings about every 6 minutes and at peak times, there is a population of over 400 birds in the park, the mess created seems to be everywhere. The council regularly cleans the tarmac paths and tries to remove the droppings from the grassed areas but fights a losing battle when geese numbers are at their peak. A lot of the droppings are passed into the lake waters and can contribute to algal blooms and low oxygen levels; although the major contribution to this problem is thought to be the amount of bread thrown into the lakes and not eaten by the birds. | |
Events in the ParkEach year a variety of events take place in the park catering for all ages and interests.Events 2008March
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December
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Trees in Poole ParkPoole Park was opened in 1890 by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Many of the trees were well-established by 1914 already making a visual impact and providing an important habitat for wildlife. There are approximately 1,100 trees in the park, some are the result of 'Plant a Tree Year' held in 1972-3. Many are protected by Tree Preservation Orders and Tawny Owls roost in some of the Horse Chestnut and fir trees. A length of the road in the north-east of the park was orginally lined with an avenue of Horse Chestnut trees which were a very fashionable species in Victorian times. Unfortunately, only fifteen of these trees now survive. Many people would like to see the trees replaced with more Horse Chestnut for the sake of tradition but there are good reasons to consider other species today. The soil of Poole Park can sustain a wide variety of tree species but is unsuitable for some. The salt laden winds from the sea can have a detrimental effect on the height and shape of some trees in particular areas. The trend today is to plant less trees to help preserve the historic open character of the park although, as it lies within a Conservation Area, one tree must be planted to replace each one removed. Trees can be identified by the leaf shape, flowers, fruits, cones or by overall shape. See the details below to view a few pointers to help distinguish between some speciesthat can be located in Poole Park. | |
