Beechwood Park is a thirty-acre
public park situated in the eastern
Beechwood area of the city of
Newport,
South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
. The park is listed on the
.
History
Beechwood House was built in 1877-78 as a private residence by George Fothergill,
a former
Mayor of Newport
The mayor of Newport (full style The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City of Newport) is the civic figurehead and first citizen of the city of Newport, Wales.
Background
The first mayor is recorded as Ralph Dery, who took up office in 1314. ...
. It was designed in a classical style using Bath stone, by architects
Habershon, Pite & Fawckner. In 1900 the Beechwood estate was purchased by
Newport Corporation and opened as a public park.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
the park was used by US military personnel stationed in the city and was later used as a tuberculosis clinic, model railway club, and open air school.
Community
The Park is protected by a group of local volunteers in the Beechwood Park Group, who set up in 2014 with the purpose of organising events for local people and improving the facilities available to visitors, including raising £1,850 for new parasols for outdoor seating.
The Park's historical interests are also preserved by Friends of Newport's Ornamental Parks, who were established in 2006 to improve the management of Victorian era parks in the city.
Facilities
Current facilities include two children's play areas, a paddling pool (summer only), a bowling green, a pavilion, and two tennis courts.
In 2013 a café was opened and named Mrs T's. It is open between 9.30am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. The café was extended in 2018 and owner Jayne Thorley has described the new space as suited for afternoon tea, Sunday lunches and special events.
In 2019 the park hosted a weekend of free musical entertainment organised by the Beechwood Parks Events Group in conjunction with
Newport City Radio with a range of musical guests, a raffle, food from The Café, and more.
Renovation
In 2006, work began on the renovation and conversion of Beechwood House to become the Beechwood House
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...
Centre.
Newport City Council secured a total of £4.2million of funding from the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF),
Welsh Government Local Regeneration Fund, along with further retrospective ERDF funds, for the project. The Centre opened in March 2009.
Awards
Beechwood is listed on the
. It has held a Green Flag award from
Keep Wales Tidy since 2007.
References
External links
Newport City Council Countryside & ParksThe Café at BeechwoodBeechwood Park Group BPG
Friends of Newport Ornamental Parks
{{Authority control
Parks in Newport, Wales
History of Newport, Wales
Registered historic parks and gardens in Newport