The Friends of
Prince of Wales Park
Heritage
Prince of Wales Park takes its name from the date on which the project was ceremonially launched: the wedding day of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863. The project followed the enclosure of Gilstead Moor in 1861, when 10 acres of land at the former Brown Hill Quarry were awarded for the use of Bingley’s labouring poor. Because the disused quarry and moorland were unsuitable for allotment cultivation, an appeal led to the land being granted for recreation in 1863. Local workers contributed money and labour, while public subscriptions funded the purchase of a further eight acres of adjoining land. These efforts enabled the Prince of Wales Park to be created and formally opened on 6 June 1865. In acknowledgement, the Prince of Wales sent trees from Sandringham in 1866 to add to this woodland park. The later registration of the park as of Grade II Historic Interest is linked to this royal recognition. Details about the park and its Grade II listing can be seen on the Historic England website.
Significant structures were added, such as the Drinking Fountain, the Park Lodge, the Round House shelter and the relocated Bingley Market Hall Band concerts were held in 'The Ariana', today's Events Arena. Panoramic views were enjoyed whilst strolling along 'The Terrace', today's Broadwalk. Features were continually added, notably by park keeper Mr Wilson. These include three water features which are fed by the natural springs of the Brown Hill Wells. The picture below show some of these features. Today only the foundations and walls of the Tea Rooms and Round House remain. The Round House itself was so overgrown that we only rediscovered it after being asked about it by a Park user with a long memory!
The Market Hall, Cross and stocks, now in located next to the Arts Centre in Bingley, used to be in the park arena. The siting of the building can be seen on the map below, labelled the Pavilion. A film showing how and when it was moved can be viewed here. A fascinating look back at how things were 1984.
This link takes you to the Yorkshire film archive showing Whippet racing from the Prince of Wales Park to Myrtle Park also took place within living memory. Here you can watch a Yorkshire Film Archive showing one of the races (link to be added).
If you are interested in the relationship between Bingley and the Prince of Wales Park the book Chronicles and Stories of Old Bingley by Harry Speight makes interesting reading.
1901 map showing the PoWP. Note the lack of development in the area compared to the modern day. The intersection of Park Road and Lady Lane is marked as 476 feet above sea level and the top of the park is just above the 628 mark outside Park View House. So, the change in elevation from the bottom of the park to the top is over 150 feet or around 47 meters. This is the equivalent of climbing 257 steps up a typical staircase.