| Palmer Park | |
|---|---|
View across the middle of the park |
|
|
|
|
| Type | Public |
| Location | Reading, Berkshire, UK |
Palmer Park is a public park in Reading, England. The land for the park was given to the town in 1889 by the Palmer family, proprietors of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory, and contains a statue of George Palmer. Popular with all of the local residents for various activities, it often hosts religious festivals, sports tournaments and small special events. In the past, Carter's Steam Fair visited the park every year. However, they stopped the annual occasion due to the discovery of ground subsidence in the park. Chalk mines were found underneath the park and the weight of the fairground rides posed great danger. Still today, areas around the park are fenced off to stop people from falling into suspected areas of subsidence.
The park also contains Palmer Park Stadium, a velodrome and athletics stadium.[1] Included in the park is Palmer Park Library,[2] two playgrounds, Palmer Park Bowling Club,[3] two playgrounds[4] and a number of football pitches which are used every week for local matches. During the summer months, some of the goal posts are removed to make way for a cricket pitch.