Formerly called the People's Park,

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

's West Park was opened on 6 June 1881. It is Grade II* listed in

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

'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 An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members ...

Samuel Dickinson invited

landscape gardener Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures for constructio ...

s to compete for the layout of the park. The winner of the £50 prize was Richard Hartland Vertegans of Chad Valley Nurseries,

Edgbaston Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre. In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family ...

, 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 In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

, 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 of annual fêtes held between 1889 and 1939. The Glass House, West Park, Wolverhampton - geograph

The Glass House, West Park, Wolverhampton - geograph

The largest and most ambitious exhibition held in Wolverhampton was the 1902 Arts and Industrial Exhibition which was sited in West Park. Although housing only one international pavilion, from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, the scope and scale of the exhibition mirrored all the advances in other exhibitions of its time. The exhibition site featured several large halls housing machinery, industrial products, a concert hall, two bandstands, a restaurant, and a fun fair with thrill rides and a water chute. Its opening, by the

Duke of Connaught Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that was granted on 24 May 1874 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur. At the same time, he was also ...

, was received with hopeful enthusiasm, unfortunately not matched by the weather, which contributed to a £30,000 loss, equivalent to nearly £2M at today's value. In 1911, commemorative flower beds were set out for the coronation of King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother ...

; similarly in 1937 for

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. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, ducks and rabbits were raised and vegetables were grown to aid the war effort. In 1942, the park was turned into allotments and the normal closing time was extended to allow for the extra work involved. The park was placed on the Heritage National Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in 1986. A grant was received from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

in 2005 to refurbish the tea room.

Gallery

Bandstand and lake at West Park - geograph.org.uk - 335656.jpg , Grade II listed bandstand, 1882 Tea room in the West Park - geograph.org.uk - 337763.jpg , Tea Room, refurbished in 2005 Lakeside pavilion in West Park - geograph.org.uk - 760285.jpg , Lakeside pavilion Lodge at South Gate to West Park - geograph.org.uk - 452738.jpg , South Gate lodge, West Park West Park Goose - geograph.org.uk - 1423385.jpg , A flock of Canada Geese, ''Branta Canadensis''

Commonwealth Games 2022

In 2022, West Park hosted the cycling time trials for Birmingham 2022, on Thursday 4 August 2022. The park was the start and finish of the races and the race then going around the city centre and taking in other parts of the Black Country to complete the route. Ian Reid,

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Birmingham 2022, said Wolverhampton was the perfect setting for the time trials, as there was plenty of space and incredible support for cycling around the city, and that it was vital to bring the games to the whole of the West Midlands.

Today

Most facilities are free or at nominal cost: *Boating lake *Picnicking *Tennis courts *Tearooms *Children's play area *Disabled access * Guide dogs welcome *Bowling green (situated in Park Crescent) *Victorian conservatory: global plant collection The park hosts: *Weekly summer brass band concerts on the recently restored bandstand *Events, walks and activities organised and run by the park Ranger Service. *Wolverhampton Show (Summer) *Annual Bonfire & Fireworks Display *Steam and Vintage Rally *Other special events

References

External links

Black Country History, Archive PhotosList entry, Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, English HeritageWest Park Conservatory Virtual Tour
{{2022 Commonwealth Games venues Urban public parks 1881 establishments in England Wolverhampton Parks and open spaces in the West Midlands (county) Grade II* listed parks and gardens in the West Midlands (county)