Sunderland’s Mowbray Park dates back to the 1830’s and is one of the oldest parks in the North East. It was also voted the best park in Britain in 2008.
The park came about after the first cholera epidemic in 1831 when a health inspector suggested building a leafy green area in the town. The government provided a grant of £750 to buy a £2,000 plot of land owned by the Mowbray family on which the park could be built. The park was named after the Mowbray family in recognition of their contribution to the local community.
Work initially began in the mid 1850’s on what was to be known as ‘The Peoples Park’. The aim being to provide the Victorian community with a small green area on which they could spend time.
The park was opened by Lord Mayor of Sunderland, John Candlish, on 21st 1857. On the opening day many shops closed early and thousands of people attended the ceremony. Following the great use of the park an extension was opened in 1866 which featured a lake and terrace, then in 1879 the Winter Gardens Museum was added. (click here for my post on the Winter Gardens Museum)
There is a statue in the centre of the park to commemorate John Candlish who was mayor of Sunderland from 1866 to 1874.
During the Second World War the park was hit numerous times by bombs and many of the iron structures were taken away and melted down for weapons. The open spaces that were left were then converted into vegetable patches.
After the war, the park was neglected. The civic centre was built on the West side of the park and the area became known for antisocial behaviour and considered an unsafe area. In 1993 over £13,000 of damage was caused and a survey by the Sunderland Echo found that people were scared to use the park due to fear of abusive behaviour.
After a public campaign, in 1944 work began to restore the park the back to its full Victorian glory. This was all funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund which provided a grant of £3.3 million. The gardens were re-built, the lake restored, the bandstand was re-built and new artworks were added to the newly shaped park. A large adventure playground in the theme of Alice in Through the Looking Glass was built, this features a giant distorted chequer board with large chess pieces. After this restoration work the park re-opened to the public in 2000.
The first year after re-opening the park received over 800,000 visitors making it the most visited attraction outside of London.
Today the park is still an important part of local community life both for families and adults alike.
Mowbray Park at Christmas.
On My Door Step 
