WORK is under way on the next phase of a £3.5million scheme to improve Poole Park.

It is the latest episode in the history of Poole’s favourite piece of open space, which began with an extraordinary act of philanthropy in Victorian times.

Bournemouth Echo:

In the 1880s, when Poole was growing rapidly, Lord Wimborne gave the town a large amount of space for a people’s park and ground to serve the new residential areas.

The park would cover 110 acres, including its man-made lake and ponds, on land adjoining Parkstone Bay and the railway embankment.

The design of the park was put out to tender by Poole council, and two preferred schemes were selected. But the borough’s surveyor, John Elford, decided both were impractical and came up with his own design.

A tidal sluice in the railway embankment was built by Dorset Iron Foundry Co in 1886 and an arched subway under the embankment was approved the same year.

Bournemouth Echo:

By 1890, the park was ready for its official opening by two future monarchs – the Prince of Wales, who would become Edward VII, and his second son George, who would be George V.

The ceremony was due to take place in a temporary pavilion, but after a storm hit the park, it was moved to the waiting room at Poole railway station.

Most of today’s park follows the original 19th century plan. Generations have enjoyed the play areas, tennis courts, bowling green, crazy golf, railway, cricket field, pavilion, cafes, water sports and radio controlled boats. Countless thousands of children have climbed the leaning tree which continued to grow despite being toppled by high winds.

Bournemouth Echo:

But the park has been through a host of changes over the years.

  • An ice cream kiosk was added in 1922.
  • A bandstand was originally part of the park but was removed in the 1930s and replaced by a fountain.
  • A war memorial was erected in 1927, with Prince George returning as Prince of Wales to lay a wreath.
  • Poole Park Railway, circling the freshwater lake, was opened in 1949. It was out of action last year after Poole council terminated its contract with its operator, the Friends of Poole Park.
  • The Swan Lake Cafe was built in 1960, replacing the tea rooms which had stood there before.
  • A zoo opened at the Parkstone end of the park in 1963 and at one time had two Himalayan bears, pumas and monkeys. The RSPCA urged the council to consider closing the zoo in 1978 and its larger animals were removed in 1980, with the zoo shutting in 1994.
  • Spectacular plant bedding features, near the Civic Centre end of the park, were a highlight of a visit for many years. Themes included the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Tufty Club and the Wombles.
  • A derelict cottage and land around it were acquired in the 1970s to create a rose garden.
  • The layout of the park’s entrances has been changed over the years to allow for traffic. The opening of Poole Hospital in 1969 necessitated a new roundabout on Parkstone Road, at the junction with Mount Pleasant Road, and the loss of the original entrance piers.

What are your favourite Poole Park memories? Email darren.slade@bournemouthecho.co.uk with “Poole Park Memories” in the subject line.