|
Corporation Park is a traditional Victorian park in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. It was landscaped by William Henderson and opened in 1857.〔(Corporation Park ), Blackburn with Darwen Council, accessed 12 May 2008〕 Corporation Park is regarded as the main formal park in Blackburn and is used mainly by local people for general recreation, walking and dog walking, as well as for its tennis, bowling and football facilities.〔(Management Plan - 2008/09 ), Blackburn with Darwen Council〕 The park is registered by English Heritage as a Park and Garden of Special Historic Interest〔(Public Parks Review: Summary ), Harriet Jordan, English Heritage〕 and is one of around 440 facilities of "exceptional historic interest" meriting a Grade II listing.〔(Park and Garden Grading ), English Heritage, accessed 16 May 2008〕 The park has also been credited with the Civic Trust's prestigious Green Flag Award.〔(Corporation Park Winner GSP001452 ), Green Flag Awards, accessed 16 May 2008〕 Corporation Park also gives its name to a local government ward for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. The 18 hectare (44.5 acre) park〔 occupies a relatively central location to the west of the main town centre precincts. The land is delineated to the north and south by two of Blackburn's main arterial roads. Revidge Road stretches for 490 metres (535 yards) along its northernmost edge; the grand southern entrance at Preston New Road (90 metres, 98 yards) arches away immediately along East and West Park Roads to reach its greatest width of 625 metres (685 yards) from Park Crescent to Brantfell Road.〔Measurements made using Google Earth〕 The grounds can be entered from the main southern entrance, two entrances aside the east and west porter's lodges or ten other gates on the perimeter of the park.〔 ==Features== A Grade II listed triumphal archway with flanking lodges (see picture above) marks the main entrance at the southern edge of the park, from which the landscape widens and rises to its peak adjoining Revidge Road in the north.〔 Over one of the smaller side arches reads an inscription: "This park was publicly opened on the 22nd day of October 1857 during the mayorality of WILLIAM PILKINGTON ESQUIRE, by whose munificence the four ornamental fountains were presented to the borough".〔Newspaper clippings for Revidge and Beardwood, Blackburn Library reference section, E02 23854〕 Travelling through the large archway for carriages or two smaller side arches on foot, visitors are presented with the largest of these recently restored ornamental fountains to the right and a war memorial and formal garden of remembrance (laid out in 1922) on the left. The fountain was formerly powered by gravity, with a water jet rising into the air, although the modern jet is more modest.〔 A former reservoir providing drinking water to Blackburn lives on as one of two lakes in the park. The areas of water are home to a number of species of waterfowl, including mute swan, moorhen and ducks.〔 A stream, Snig Brook, flows down the park from the ponds to the memorial garden, broken by waterfalls and pools.〔 The park is well identified with its conservatory, erected in 1900 and now also a Grade II listed building.〔 A fine example of cast iron Victorian conservatories, the gabled central section is designed to house exotic plants with the cooler wings being used for more northern flora.〔 The building is ornamented with arches, pierced spandrels, columns and features a large clock and a central louvred chimney.〔 The Council has recognised that the conservatory "is in need of refurbishment" and that "options for this will be realistically addressed during 2008".〔 Although £40,000 of Heritage Lottery Funding was allocated to the upkeep of the conservatory it is estimated that the cost to refurbish the building would be in the region of £1.5m.〔 The conservatory sits alongside an inhabited aviary, which is also proximate to one of two porter's lodges at the West Park Road and East Park Road entrances.〔 A magnificent wide avenue, the broad walk, is flanked by lime trees going east to west. The park is also home to a number of sporting facilities. The 'Red Rake' tennis courts are terraced into the hillside in the northerly sections of the park. A set of bowling greens are situated on the southern side of the broadwalk. A Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) suitable for football and basketball was installed opposite Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in 2007.〔 A children's play area resides next to the two lakes.〔 A battlement viewing platform stands 213.5 m above sea level and above the southern entrance, allowing long views over Blackburn and the West Pennine Moors.〔 This stone barrage formerly hosted two trophy Russian cannons (see history section below) and was developed in 2006 into a panopticon viewing platform as part of a regional arts project.〔(Colourfields Panopticon for Corporation Park, Blackburn with Darwen Public Relations and Communications Unit, 14 June 2006 )〕 and the park is for the community 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Corporation Park, Blackburn」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|