Victorian 'People's Park' to get £4m makeover

Hull's oldest - and smallest - Victorian park is to get a £4m makeover - including restoring a lost bridge and bandstand.
The ornamental archway which will be restoredThe ornamental archway which will be restored
The ornamental archway which will be restored

Neglected features in Pearson Park - including its historic ornamental archway and gatekeeper's house - will also be restored to their former glory, thanks to National Lottery and city council funding.

The £3.8m project, which already has planning permission, could take up to 18 months to complete.

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It marks the end of a long campaign by ward councillors and the The Pearson Park Trust to get the funding.

Artist's impression of how the gateway will lookArtist's impression of how the gateway will look
Artist's impression of how the gateway will look

Julie Archer, a resident who lives in nearby Park Grove, visits the park every day. She said: "I think it is brilliant. The park has some fantastic architectural heritage and a lot of history. It is beautiful at the moment but it is crying out to have its architecture restored."

Remarkably the original architectural drawings for the park have survived and will be used to build the bandstand as closely as possible to the one installed in 1893, in Oriental style and with lead effect roof.

Cast iron railings will be installed at the gates to the park, and new decorative features, including urns, dolphins and tridents, which have been lost from the entranceway, recast.

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East Lodge, which originally provided a home for the park’s gatekeeper, and has been empty since the early 1980s will now become a community centre.

East Lodge as it is todayEast Lodge as it is today
East Lodge as it is today

The Bowling Pavilion and ice cream kiosk will also be improved and the 1930s conservatory replaced.

Chairman of the Pearson Park Trust Coun John Fareham, who has campaigned for the funding, said HLF had been "very generous" giving the project, which has £800,000 city council funding, extra money.

"We are very grateful for their recognising the huge impact of the park to the area.

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"The fact it is City of Culture has undoubtedly been a boost to our long-standing plans, but this has entirely been the work of the Pearson Park Trust and Hull Council members and officers.

East Lodge as it will look in futureEast Lodge as it will look in future
East Lodge as it will look in future

“A lot of people have put many hours of hard work into this bid and it’s fantastic to see it pay off. The Trust, Pearson family descendants and council officers in particular have offered so much commitment and support throughout this bid – huge thanks must be given to them."

In 1860, Mayor Zachariah Pearson, donated a 27-acre plot off Beverley Road to give somewhere for workers to enjoy some space and fresh air.

It is Grade Two listed and includes seven individually listed Grade II features within its grounds, including a drinking fountain and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert statues.

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Chairman of the Friends of Pearson Park Helene O'Mullane said she was looking forward to seeing the archway and East Lodge restored. "It's well used - come in summer and you can't move.

Artist's impression of how the gateway will lookArtist's impression of how the gateway will look
Artist's impression of how the gateway will look

"It's just the buildings have come to the end of their tether. We want to carry on the heritage that the Victorians left us."

Pearson Park is the latest to benefit from over £900million of National Lottery funding.

HLF Chief Executive Ros Kerslake, said: “It’s difficult to overstate the importance of our public parks. Vital to our well-being and essential to biodiversity, they are highly valued spaces enjoyed daily by people from all walks of life."