Bolton’s Queen’s Park celebrates its one hundred and sixtieth birthday this Sunday with music, dance and activities.
Today’s visitors find a park that, thanks to major investment by the council, is back to its best.
But that was not always the story.
The ceremonial opening of the gates to the new park on Thursday, May 24, 1866, was a moment of huge celebration and pride for the town.
Many shops shut for the day and workers were given time off to join the festivities, which included a procession from the town centre out to the park.
The park quickly became the pride of Bolton and was much loved by generations of local people looking for fresh air, nature and relaxation.
Anyone who was there on that first day would still recognise much of the park today.
Its basic layout remains the same and among the original features still in place are the sunken garden, promenade terrace and the viewing point known as the pie crust.
All the statues are original, as are the central path, the steps to the fountain and the gardener’s lodge.
Over the past 160 years many of the park’s other features have been lost or moved.
Among them are the park keeper’s lodge, a large refreshment pavilion on the promenade that was demolished in 1958 and a bandstand next to the sunken garden.
The bandstand was removed to create a bowling green, which in turn had a large conservatory built on it in the early 1960s that burnt down in 1999.
The park’s amphitheatre once boasted a covered stage, which in its heyday hosted Sunday concerts to large crowds, before being demolished in 1974.
After falling into disrepair in the 1980s and 90s, the park was revitalised in the 2000s thanks to £7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Bolton Council.
Three of the lakes were dredged and cleaned up and the park lodge was totally refurbished.
All the statues and steps were repaired and cleaned, with new urns, railings, benches and signage.
Dobson Bridge was dismantled and painstakingly repaired and repainted, while craftsmen set to work on the grand Victorian fountain, demolished at least 50 years beforehand, recreating it in intricately carved new stone.
At the same time, the children’s play area was relocated and enlarged and a new bridge installed to link to a new car park on Spa Road.
And the improvements have not stopped.
As recently as this year, further investment has seen improvements to the children’s play area, new bins and planters and updated exercise equipment.
Wildflowers have been planted, ponds cleared for wildlife and a sensory garden created.
The fountain has enjoyed £17,000 of further repairs and is back in working order for the first time since 2019.
After 160 years of tradition and change, Queen’s Park is now both listed and a conservation area.
It is as important as ever to the people of Bolton for relaxation, play, meeting family and friends and connecting with nature.
A spokesperson for Bolton Council said:
“Having been at the heart of the town for over a century and a half, Queen’s Park is not only a proud part of our history, but also a place of fond memories for generations of Boltonians.
“We are determined to keep improving it for future generations.
“Thanks to the hard work of people like the Friends of Queen’s Park, working alongside staff from the council, now is the perfect time to celebrate the park’s return to its former glory.”
