Boost for park restoration projects
9 April 2010
Six public parks are to share £13 million in grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund.
The largest grant, of £4.5 million, goes to Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets, east London, affectionately known locally as 'Vicky Park'. It opened in the 1840s after Queen Victoria was petitioned by over 30,000 residents of the overcrowded East End for some outside space.
The park will play a key role in the 2012 Olympics as it hosts part of the walking course for athletes, and the money will pay for restoring several original features including a traditional English Garden and a Chinese bridge and pagoda. New attractions include an urban beach and skate park.
'Victoria Park is the crown jewel in the parks of the East End,” said local councillor Abdal Ullah. “It is our equivalent of west London's Hyde Park and Regents Park, and of major importance to local people.'
The 16th-century Bishop's Park and Fulham Palace Grounds in Fulham, London, receives £3.64m, while Grade II listed Burslem Park in Stoke-on-Trent, created by Thomas Mawson, will have just over £2m towards the restoration of its Victorian pavilion and new heritage and wildlife walks.
Three other parks, Dunwood Park in Oldham, Manchester, Horniman Gardens in Forest Hill, London, and Brinkburn Denes Park in Darlington, Co. Durham, are also receiving grants under the Parks for People programme, which has so far handed out about £80 million to parks across the country.
Visit the Heritage Lottery Fund website