So, in pursuit of a considered answer to the question as to which was Britain’s first public park Victoria Park in the ‘East End’ of London deserves due consideration. Opened to the public in 1845 and designed by J. Pennethorne (s.p.b.) Victoria Park is now administered by the London Borough of Hackney. Its nickname later in the 19th century became ‘People’s Park’, reflecting its universal availability – the name People’s Park became a sort of generic name for public parks and is arguably a more appealing name than public park, indeed a number of municipal parks around the country retain this phrase as their official name the best known example in this region being the very fine park near the centre of Grimsby.
As with a goodly number of public parks Victoria Park has benefitted from a major upgrading and restoration largely funded from National Lottery funds. Thus it now has; cafes (2), playgrounds, sports fields, artifacts (pieces of architecture from various sources), wild plant areas and is a major venue for public events such as concerts. It has had Green Flag status for a number of years, is classed as Grade 2* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens and was voted the most popular green space in England for three of the last ten years (although this may reflect the awareness of such votes by the local population rather than a considered opinion by people who had visited every park in the country before arriving at a decision!).
Victoria Park boasts the oldest model boat club in the world (I don’t have a date for this but Hull’s East Park had one by the early 20th century), and is bordered on two sides by canals, the Regents Canal and the Hertford Canal.
Interestingly Victoria Park has an historic association with radicalism and competed with Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner in providing platforms for radical speakers.
As with many parks the lake started life as a bathing pool but with increasing concern re safety is now a fishing lake.
The picture above shows Pennethorne’s original plan (taken from the internet).