As regards the early development of Hull’s West Park it needs to be recorded straightway that in 2011 Paul Gibson published his excellent booklet on this topic (cover-page see above).
In May 1882 the Minutes of Hull Corporation’s Parks Committee, 1882-1884, record that a sub-committee was formed to search for a ‘suitable site … in the East and West Districts for the use of the people as for a public Park’. By January 1883 its members were considering possible sites for ‘West District Park’. Later that same year they settled on a 40 acre site off Walton Street (newly named) already bought by the Corporation in 1878 from the North Eastern Railway Co. and then being used as pasture-land.
By the terms of earlier Public Health Acts parks could only be created by Urban Sanitary authorities, this highlighting the very important point that public parks were part of the great movement to improve public health in the late 19th century.
By February 1883 lay-out plans for he Park had been drawn and four acres was set aside for plots on which villas could be built alongside Walton Street (never built s.p.b.). The main entrance was to be created off Anlaby Road with a park-keeper’s lodge built alongside (surviving). Two carriage-drives were to be created, one serving the villas and one bisecting the site diagonally (both survive), also hard-surface footpaths (‘walks’) were to be laid. A 3000 square yards lake was to be dug with a central island and connecting bridge (see picture above described by Mr Gibson as ‘the lake and the original bandstand in a c.1888 view looking south towards St. Matthew’s church as depicted by local artist F.S. Smith’). There was to be a refreshment pavilion and arbours as well as a chief gardener’s lodge beside Walton Street (possibly never built).
In October 1884 it was recorded that work could start soon ‘so as to provide employment to a large number of workmen and to abate the distress existing in the Borough’.
(to be continued).