Southampton Central Parks

The Southampton Central Parks are a set of five parks, which collectively make a central public park, in the heart of the city of Southampton. Created between 1854 and 1866, they have gained Grade II* listed status, as well as being part of the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The parks are legally Common Land.

History
The land on which the parks now lie can trace their formation back to the medieval period, in which the lands surrounded the developing town of Southampton. As a result, they were used as open fields, where locals had Lammas rights - which allowed burgesses (locals of the town) the right to pasture after the harvest. This was usually between August and April. This resulted in the land having many paths crossing it, which form the basis of the paths through the park now. The Marsh Improvement Act 1844 then gave the local authority the power to acquire and then build on the area, as well as Southampton Common. However, public protest led the council to protect 50 acres of this land. Throughout the 1840s, Lammas rights were slowly purchased, allowing development of the park to start. This development was protracted, hence why the parks gradually opened from 1854 to 1866.

West Park and East Park (including the area on which the Civic Centre has been built) were the West and East Magdalens (also known as the Marlands), lands granted for the maintenance of the leprosy hospital of St Mary Magdalene.

Houndwell Park and Palmerston Park both made up the area known as Houndwell Field. The field is named for the stream that arises near the junction of where Pound Tree Road and Sussex Road in now located. The western edge of Hoglands formed the eastern boundary, and a fragment of a boundary bank still survives. The establishment of a new boundary occurred when the southern portion of Palmerston Road was constructed in the middle of the 18th century, alongside the Salisbury and Southampton Canal.

East Park
East Park, also known as Andrews Park is the largest of all the parks. It was named after Richard Andrews, a former mayor of Southampton. Within the park, there is a statue dedicated to him due to his respected nature after his tenure as mayor. The park also has the Titanic Engineers' Memorial, dedicated to those who died when the Titanic sank. Finally, there is the Queens Peace Fountain. This was orginally built in 2000, sitting on the site of a past fountain. It was built to comemorate the Queen Elizabeth II service as well as '56 years of Peace'.

Hoglands Park
Hoglands Park is the park that usually holds sports events, as well as festivals, circus' and fairgrounds. This is due to it being a more open space than the other parks. It also has a skate park and a pavilion 'decorated by local artists'. The area was originally known as 'Hogsland'.

Speakers Pedestal
Within the park is Southampton's Speakers' Corner, consisting of steps with a guard rail. It was built in 1971, due to the significant increase in protesters on the recently pedestrianised High Street. As the High Street was still legally a highway, these protesters were arrested, charged and found guilty. To mitigate issues surrounding free speech, the council agreed to construct a speaker's corner in one of the parks, out the way of the shops on the High Street. It was first used on 27 November 1971 by an anti-apartheid group. It is rarely used now, with most protesters using the Guildhall Square.

Houndwell Park
Houndwell Park's main attraction is its large playground, the only one in any of the central parks. This playground gets frequent upgrades due to it being well used by locals. The park also houses the memorial to William Chamberlayne, the MP for Southampton between 1818 and 1829. This memorial is called the 'Gas Column', with it standing 50 ft high. It was moved to Houndwell park in 1865.

Water Fountain
In the 1850s Edmund Kell, a local councillor wanted a water fountain to be built in Southampton, with the hope to reduce drunkenness. In 1859, Charles Melly, a philanthropist who encouraged the creation of public drinking fountains, sent a letter to the Southampton corporation, saying he would pay for the fountain. Later that year, it was unveiled on East Street. In 1969, it was moved to its current place in the park - with it no longer being connected to a water supply.

Palmerston Park
Palmerston Park is named after Lord Palmerston, Prime Minister of the UK in the 19th century. There is a 7 ft statue dedicated to him, erected four years after his death in 1869. The park also has a bandstand, which was replaced in 1999. The original bandstand from 1885 was removed in 1940 due to bomb damage, as a result of WW2.

West Park
West Park, also known as Watts Park, is the western most park. It is named after Isaac Watts, with a statue of him being located in the centre of the Park. The statue faces the Southampton Civic Centre, with the Clock Tower playing his ‘Our God, Our Help in Ages Past’ at 8:00, 12:00 and 16:00 daily. The park also houses the Southampton Cenotaph, which was the model for the Whitehall Cenotaph in London.

Enclosure sculpture
In 2001, the sculpture ‘Enclosure’ by Paul de Monchaux was added to the park. The four metre high stone sculpture frames three skyline landmarks in and around the park. These framed structures are named on the base of the sculpture, with it framing the Cenotaph (though this is blocked by the Issac Watts statue), the Southampton Civic Centre clock tower and the Spire on what was formerly St Peters Church, opposite the Mayflower Theatre. It was paid for by the Lottery Fund.

Lime Tree Avenue
The Lime Tree Avenue runs in a straight line through the parks. It starts at Houndwell Park (at the Gas Column) and runs north through Palmerston Park to East (Andrews) Park, where it stops at the Queens Peace Fountain. The avenue of trees were presented in 1862, by then Mayor of Southampton, Sir Frederick Perkins. This is commemorated by a plaque adjacent to the statue of Richard Andrews.