All About Parks

Many areas of land given over to quite different uses are known as parks. Business, science and industrial parks are usually occupied by commercial and manufacturing companies. Amusement and theme parks offer fairground fun and other attractions. But the name 'park' is more usually given to mean areas of open land for people to enjoy fresh air, exercise and a break from the pressures of city life. These parks are either the green spaces in and around towns and cities or protected wild countryside.

The first parks in England were mentioned in the Domesday Book, a survey carried out mainly to set taxes on the orders of William the Conqueror in 1086. These medieval parks were large areas of grass and woodland enclosing deer and game for kings and wealthy landowners to hunt for food and sport. These early parks were great symbols of status and influence. The poor had to be content with common land and the countryside as it was.

Little change took place in the development of parks until the early 1700s, when the wealthy began to landscape the grounds around their mansion houses. They employed landscape architects to design and carry out the work, the most famous of which was 'Capability' (Lancelot) Brown (1715-1783). His work can be seen at Blenheim, Stowe, and Petworth.

Gradually, the public gained access to these privately owned grounds and gardens, often because such estates came into public ownership to be managed by local councils and charities such as the National Trust.

City parks for the public as we think of them today really began to develop as a result of the Industrial Revolution, a period of great social, economic and technological change that began in the second half of the 18th century. Air pollution from the new and dirty industrial processes became a common feature of everyday life in cities, and the rapid growth of the urban population resulted in overcrowded housing with poor sanitation.

Epidemics of the fatal disease cholera in the 1840s prompted a search for new ideas to improve both the environment and social conditions of city-dwellers. Social reformers began to think about cities in a different way and the benefits of clean, green open spaces for public health and enjoyment gradually became recognised. By the end of the 1800s urban parks were laid out with features such as flower gardens, avenues of trees, and bandstands.

In many ways, changes in the way parks are laid out and managed reflect changes in society. The sports pitches and children's playgrounds introduced at the start of the 1900s were provided to encourage energetic activity as well as the passive recreation such as walking that had traditionally taken place in parks.

Further change took place during the Second World War (1939-45), when the ornamental railings surrounding many parks since Victorian times were removed and melted down to make weapons. Few were replaced and many people began to feel unsafe in parks because of it. Planning ideas for the rebuilding of cities after the Second World War encouraged people to move to the edges of towns. There they were given their own gardens instead of public parks.

A more recent change has been the increase in numbers of people who own cars and make journeys into the countryside. Since the 1960s and 70s, there has also been a trend towards creating country parks complete with nature trails, picnic sites, and adventure playgrounds.

As these changing patterns in society have caused parks to become less popular, many have fallen into a poor state of maintenance. Few local councils have enough money to provide park keepers or maintain and improve the quality and image of the 300,000 acres of parkland in England and Wales.

Many parks now seem rather old-fashioned, and more modern ideas to improve them are being examined. These include community gardens, city farms, festivals, events, cafes, theatres and sports pitches and imaginative play areas. Voluntary groups are becoming actively involved in creating and managing parts of parks, and some campaign for safer parks with more facilities. Dog owners, who account for about one in eight of all park visitors, are also being encouraged to take more responsibility for their animals.

Access to the countryside by train became possible long before cars were widely owned. As the railway network extended during the second half of the 19th century, people began to develop a greater appreciation of wild landscapes away from the sprawling developments brought about by the Industrial Revolution.

Campaigns to preserve the character of these beautiful landscapes for future generations to enjoy grew up throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Little happened until after the Second World War, however, when environmental planning started to take account of the countryside as well as rising to the challenge of rebuilding Britain's ruined cities.

By 1957, 10 National Parks had been set up in England and Wales. These Parks are areas of countryside which are specially protected by law. They cover about 9% of the total land area, and contain spectacular mountains, dramatic coastlines, and important nature reserves. The ten parks are; the Lake District, Peak District, Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Northumberland, North York Moors, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdonia and the Yorkshire Dales. The New Forest and the Norfolk Broads are also treated as National Parks.

The Scottish equivalent to National Parks, National Scenic Areas (NSA), did not come into being until 1968. Scotland has 40 NSAs, but their combined size is smaller than that of the National Parks of England and Wales. There are over a thousand National Parks in the world, but unlike Canada, which has more protected landscapes than anywhere else, Britain has no areas of land that are considered pure, unspoilt wilderness.

With thanks to Ruth Coleman and Guardian Education for permission to reproduce this article

Back to top of page