Baxter Park is a park located in the east of
Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
, Scotland. It was designed between 1862-63 and is the only complete park wholly designed by Sir
Joseph Paxton
Sir Joseph Paxton (3 August 1803 – 8 June 1865) was an English gardener, architect, engineer and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Member of Parliament. He is best known for designing the Crystal Palace, which was built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde ...
in Scotland.
The park is included in the
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland[ and it features a Category A listed pavilion designed by George Henry Stokes.]Bonfire Night
Bonfire Night is a name given to various yearly events marked by bonfires and fireworks. These include Guy Fawkes Night (5 November) in Great Britain; All Hallows' Eve (31 October); May Eve (30 April); Midsummer Eve/Saint John's Eve (23 Jun ...
firework displays.
History
The park was donated to the citizens of the city by Sir David Baxter and his two sisters Mary Ann and Eleanor. The land was acquired in 1861, on a site that at the time was on the edge of the city, and it was laid out at a cost of £40,000, with an additional £10,000 set aside as an endowment to be managed by a board of trustees. The official opening took place on 9 September 1863 and was attended by Earl Russell
Earl Russell, of Kingston Russell in the County of Dorset, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 30 July 1861 for the prominent Liberal politician Lord John Russell. He was Home Secretary from 1835 to 1839, For ...
.[
In 2003 the park was granted £3.25 million through the Heritage Lottery Fund and with additional funding from ]Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland () was an executive agency of the Scottish Government, executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage and promoting its und ...
and Dundee City Council
Dundee City Council is the Local government in Scotland, local authority for Dundee City council area, Dundee City, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. In its modern form it was created in 1996. Dundee was formerly governed by a municipal c ...
it underwent a £5 million refurbishment. Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
presided over its official reopening in July 2007.[ ][ In 2009, the park was awarded ]Green Flag
Green Flag Limited is a British roadside assistance and vehicle recovery provider, which is part of the Direct Line Group. Formed in 1971, as the National Breakdown Recovery Club, as an alternative to the AA and RAC, it used a network of ...
status.
Baxter Park Pavilion
In the centre of the park is a two-storey Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...
style pavilion built of Bannockburn freestone. This originally housed a restaurant at one end and a gardener's room and ladies' room at the other. A marble statue of David Baxter, by John Steell
Sir John Robert Steell (Aberdeen 18 September 1804 – 15 September 1891) was a Scottish sculptor. He modelled many of the leading figures of Scottish history and culture, and is best known for a number of sculptures displayed in Edinburgh, ...
and paid for by public subscription, was placed on the north side of the pavilion.[
Historically, the pavilion and the statue within it have suffered vandalism. The statue was moved to the ]McManus Galleries
The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum is a Gothic Revival-style building, located in the centre of Dundee, Scotland. The building houses a museum and art gallery with a collection of fine and decorative art as well as a natural history co ...
in Dundee but was reinstated as part of the refurbishment of the site. The redevelopment of the pavilion, which had been derelict for many years, included the opening of a registry office
A register office, commonly referred to unofficially as a registry office or registrar's office is an office in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries responsible for the civil registration ...
and a café.
References
External links
{{commons, Baxter Park, Dundee
*Dundee City Council
Baxter Park and Pavilion
*Visit Scotland
Baxter Park
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes
Parks in Dundee
Category A listed buildings in Dundee