Corporation Park
UAL Level 3 Diploma in Arts and Design
Jodie Bradshaw
Corporation Park is known to be a traditional Victorian park in Blackburn, Lancashire. It is regarded as the main formal park in Blackburn and is used mainly by local residents for general uses such as dog walking and running and also for pleasure such as the children play area and the sports facilities. The park is registered as a Park and Garden of Special Historic Interest and is also one of 440 facilities of ‘exceptional historic interest’ meriting a Grade II listing. As well as this, the park has also been rewarded with the Civic Trust’s prestigious Green Flag Award. The park also gives its name to a local government ward for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.
Corporation Park was first opened on the 22nd of October 1827, there were an estimated 50,000 people who had come from Darwen, Bolton, Preston, Accrington, and Burnley to celebrate the grand opening who were welcomed with a display of fireworks and rockets. Many donations were given to the park as a gesture from wealthy local residents such as Mayor William Pilkington from Bolton who donated three water fountains, Alderman Cunningham who donated two black swans to the lake, and Mr Walsh from Beardwood who opened the aviary in 1958. The park contains many sports facilities such as three shale tennis courts, three all-weather courts, two mini-use game areas, cycle track, playgrounds (one formal, one natural), bowling greens, and flat green grass areas.
Whilst the park was in the making, it was known as the ‘Public Park.’ However, in a Town Council meeting that took place in 1855, the Mayor, Wiliam Hoole, proposed that the Park should be known as ‘The Corporation Park.’ Many disagreed stating that the four syllables would take too long to pronounce. This was eventually overlooked and the name Corporation Park remained. Corporation Park is home to two lakes, one of which was created in 1772 as the town’s water supply. A system of wooden piping carried to the mains water in 1847. The smaller lake was known as ‘the can’ as citizens drew water from it using cans. The reservoir was consequently named the ‘big can.’