History of Parks and Gardens

Parks and Gardens Timeline

Wharton Park in Durham was created in 1857, by William Lloyd Wharton (1789-1867) from nearby Dryburn Hall, who owned the land on which the park and railway in Durham were built. He was chairman of the Great North Eastern Railway and High Sheriff of Durham. After the railway was built in 1857, he established the public park on the rough land to the north of the railway. A mock castle ("the Battery") was built as a look out over the railway and the city.

Learn More

Loading

Mowbray Park in Sunderland was opened on the 21st May 1857, by John Candlish, MP. The park was built following a public health enquiry into the cholera epidemic of the 1840s. The enquiry recommended that a park should be built to give the people of Sunderland more fresh air and exercise; Parliament gave £750 to help establish the park.

Learn more...

Loading

Leazes Park - opened

December 23, 1873

Leazes Park, in the centre of Newcastle, was opened by Sir Charles Hamond on the 23rd December 1873. The 14 hectare park has it's main entrance on Richardson Road.  It was the first purpose-built public park in Newcastle.

Learn more....

Loading

Roker Park opened

June 23, 1880

Roker Park is a recreation park in the Roker area of Sunderland. It was opened on the 23rd of June, 1880. The land for the park was donated by Sir Hedworth Williamson, 8th Baronet and the Church Commissioners.

Learn more...

Loading

Northumberland Park

August 11, 1885

Northumberland Park was opened by the Duke of Northumberland on the 11th of August 1885. A campaign for a public park in North Shields had been led by Alderman Spence, and persuaded the Duke grant land for the park in Spital Dene. Work on the park had begun in 1884 and workmen discovered the remains of St Leonards, a medieval hospital founded c1220, which had been annexed to Tynemouth Priory during the 14th century.

Learn more...

Loading

North Marine Park and South Marine Park in South Shields were officilly opened on the 25th of June 1890. Matthew Hall (Borough Engineer and Surveyor) incorporated an existing recreation area, developed in 1869, into his design for the parks. The parks were built on reclaimed land, incorporating 18.5 acres of ballast hills (ships arriving on the Tyne came with sand and stone ballast, which was dumped, before loading them with coal and other cargos).

Learn more....

Loading

Ridley Park, in Blyth, was officially opened by Lord Ridley on the 27th of July 1904. The opening  ceremony included music from the Seaton Delaval Military Band.

Learn more....

Loading

A modestly sized walled garden, located just north of Lindisfarne Castle, was designed by Gertrude Jekyll - a renowned Arts and Crafts garden designer, writer and artist. The garden was established in 1911 on the site of a vegetable patch, which once provided food for the soldiers of the Castle. Jekyll's friend Edwin Lutyens was remodelling the castle for Edward Hudson at that time, and planned out the geometric paving layout to make the garden seem larger.

Learn more...

Loading

Benwell Nature Park was established in 1982 on land cleared by the demolition of two streets of terraced housing and a section of Atkinson Road in Benwell, Newcastle.

A cobbled back lane that ran between the backs of the terraced houses of Atkinson Road and Helen Street can still be seen in the park.

Loading

The war memorial and Tower Hill Gardens in Wooler were refurbished in 2001 to mark the new millennium.

Learn more...

Loading

Alnwick Garden opens

October 1, 2001

The first phase of the Alnwick Garden opened to the public on the 1st of October 2001.

Learn more...

Loading

The bandstand in Leazes Park is a faithful reconstruction of the park's original 19th Century bandstand. It was installed on the 9th of June 2003. The ornate 10 sided bandstand, with it's crown domed roof is an important feature of the park.

Loading

Lindisfarne Gospels Garden

September 19, 2004

Lindisfarne Gospels Garden on Holy Island were opened by Lady Rose on the 19th of September 2004. Located opposite the Lindisfarne Heritage Centre, the garden was originally designed by Stan Timmins for the Chelsea Flower Show in 2003, where it won a silver medal. The garden, inspired by the Lindisfarne Gospels, was recreated here on Lindisfarne in association with the Holy Island Community Development Trust.

Learn more...

Loading

Wharton Park established

Mowbray Park - opened

Leazes Park - opened

Roker Park opened

Northumberland Park

Marine Parks - South Shields

Opening of Ridley Park in Blyth

Gertrude Jekyll Garden - Holy Island

Benwell Nature Park

Tower Hill Gardens were refurbished - Wooler

Alnwick Garden opens

Bandstand in Leazes Park

Lindisfarne Gospels Garden

1480
1490
1500
1510
1520
1530
1540
1550
1560
1570
1580
1590
1600
1610
1620
1630
1640
1650
1660
1670
1680
1690
1700
1710
1720
1730
1740
1750
1760
1770
1780
1790
1800
1810
1820
1830
1840
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
2040
2050
2060
2070
2080
2090
2100
2110
2120
2130
2140
2150
2160
2170
2180
2190
2200
2210
2220
2230
2240
2250
2260
2270
2280
2290
2300
2310
2320
2330
2340
2350
2360
1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1831
1832
1833
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1871
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878
1879
1881
1882
1883
1884
1885
1886
1887
1888
1889
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1931
1932
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2031
2032
2033
2034
2035
2036
2037
2038
2039

Start by selecting a resource (photo or video)

Select Resource



Add to Timeline About Timelines    Disclaimer: these timelines are community generated content and in no way represent the views of Newcastle University. Notice and Takedown Policy.

ABOUT US

Co-Curate is a project which brings together online collections, museums, universities, schools and community groups to make and re-make stories and images from North East England and Cumbria. Co-Curate is a trans-disciplinary project that will open up 'official' museum and 'un-officia'l co-created community-based collections and archives through innovative collaborative approaches using social media and open archives/data.

LATEST SHARED RESOURCES