| Pearson Park | |
|---|---|
The entrance to Pearson Park |
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| Type | Municipal |
| Location | Kingston upon Hull |
| Area | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| Created | 1860 |
| Operated by | Hull City Council |
| Status | Open all year |
Pearson Park was the first public park to be opened in Kingston upon Hull, England. It is situated about 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of the city centre of Hull with its main entrance on Beverley Road and its western boundary adjoining Princes Avenue. It provides a range of popular leisure facilities for local residents and includes a number of historic architectural features. 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 12 acres (5 ha) 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.[1]
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On 29 August 2010, the local community celebrated the 150th Anniversary of Zachariah Pearson's gift of the land to create Pearson Park. A Victorian themed fun day was held to commemorate the founding of Hull's first public park and 85 of Pearson's descendants helped to plant a Wellingtonia gigantea tree to mark the occasion.[2]
The 12 acres (5 ha) 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 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.[3] This vantage point was later commemorated in the poem "High Windows".