Pearson Park

Infobox park
park = Pearson Park

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image size = 200px
caption = The entrance to Pearson Park
type = Municipal
location = Kingston upon Hull
coordinates = coord|53.758740|-0.353000|display=inline,title
size = Convert|9|ha|acre|lk=on
opened = 1860
operator = Hull City Council
visitors =
status = Open all year

Pearson Park was the first public park to be opened in Kingston upon Hull, England. It is situated about convert|1|mi|km|lk=on northwest of the city centre of Hull. The land for the park was donated, in 1860, by Zachariah Charles Pearson (1821-91) to mark his first term in office as mayor of Hull. Pearson held on to Convert|5|ha|acre|lk=on of land surrounding the park to speculatively build villa residences. Pearson resigned because of financial problems half way through his second term as mayor. He had bought a large fleet of ships on credit and tried to run arms through the Federal blockade during the American Civil War. The venture failed and all his ships were captured. He spent the last 29 years of his life living in a small terraced house in a corner of the park. [ cite web|url=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/portal/page?_pageid=221,131089&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL |title=Pearson Park |accessdate=2008-06-09 |date=2008 |publisher=Hull City Council ]

Features

The Convert|9|ha|acre|lk=off park was designed by the curator of Hull's Botanic Gardens, James Craig Niven.

Several structures within the park, are now listed as features of special interest. The listed structures are:

*The entrance to the park, a cast-iron gateway created in 1863 by Young & Pool.

*An ornate cast-iron canopied drinking fountain erected in 1864

*The east entrance lodge which was built in 1860-1

*A statue of Queen Victoria by Thomas Earle in 1861

*A statue of Prince Albert by Thomas Earle in 1868

*The Pearson memorial

*The cupola from Hull's demolished Town Hall

*Three nearby villas, numbers 43, 50 and 54, built in the 1860s.

The top-floor flat of a similar house, number 32, owned by the University of Hull was the home of poet Philip Larkin for 18 years from 1956. [ cite web|url=http://www.remotegoat.co.uk/venue_view.php?uid=20199 |title=Pearson Pak, Hull |accessdate=2008-06-09 |publisher=remotegoat.co.uk ] This vantage point was later commemorated in the poem "High Windows".

References