East Park, north of Holderness Road and surely Hull’s largest park in area, was an area of post-enclosure farmland landscaped in the late 1880s. Like West Park it incorporated a central ‘carriageway’ bordered by an avenue of trees (see above photo.), this enabling the more wealthy inhabitants to ‘progress’ through the park in their carriages, to see and to be seen. Despite this Hull’s public parks were, from their inception, intended as a place of resort for all, this egalitarian notion being reinforced by the fact that Pearson Park was often known as ‘People’s Park’ (the public park east of Bargate, Grimsby retains the name – a lovely area saved from neglect by a cash injection a few years ago.
The carriageway at Pearson Park was around the perimeter, this to serve the new detached period houses built/to be built on square plots around the Park’s edge allocated for speculative building. The original plan for West Park included the same provision alongside Walton St. but the houses were never built, instead the proposed building plots became a series of bowling greens, these still used today.
All three of the Parks mentioned so far were established on the edge of the then built-up area of the town, this enabling sufficient land to be acquired and at a reasonable cost. Like most municipal parks today Hull’s parks are devoid of many of the original attractions such as ‘grottos’, boating lakes, menageries and ample seating. East Park retains most of its original features, this following a very well-planned ‘restoration’ a few years ago. As with private parks that came into public ownership we benefit from tree planting programmes of the past, whether by private owners or municipal benefaction. We should continue this commitment by planning for the future and by valuing the ‘green space’ provision we have inherited.
Tomorrow Pickering Park, then cemeteries.