Southchurch Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Southchurch Park | |
|---|---|
 Southchurch Park lake | |
  Location in Essex | |
| Location | Southchurch, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Area | 12 hectares (30 acres) |
Southchurch Park is a recreational park in Southchurch, a suburb in the city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The park is 12 hectares (30 acres) in area and contains sports pitches, including a cricket ground formerly used by Essex County Cricket Club, a football ground, formal gardens, a boating lake, tennis courts, a bowling green and a café.[1] The park is split in two by Lifstan Way, with the original park on the West, and the 1931 extension on the East.[2]
The 20 acres of land were gifted to the town by local benefactors, Alderman Messrs Baxter, Dowsett and Ingram in 1895.[3] The site was marshland, and with agreement of the benefactors, the council built pumping stations and the lake to drain the land for the park, but also what is now Southchurch Hall estate development, which was also owned by the benefactors. This work cost £10,000 and drew criticism at the time, and the park was formerly opened in 1900,[2] and was originally called Southchurch Hall Park, with an entrance lodge and pavilion,[4] with a further refreshment room being added in 1912.[5] The lake was used for boating from 1903 until the 1990s, when vandalism, the cost of insurance and changes to health and safety rules saw it end.[2] Until 1908, the park had partially been maintained by the Cricket club, but due to complaints about its upkeep, the council created the Parks and Pleasure committee to maintain all of the town's public parks.[2] In 1910, the Parks department installed tennis courts, which were used by the Eastcliff Tennis Club, and for the first time allowed local football teams to play at the park.[2] During 1913, the council added an Aviary to the park, which would grow to become a mini zoo by 1928.[2]
In 1914, the park was requisitioned for use by Colonel Patton-Bethnal and the 14th Rifle Brigade with the stipulation that the hallowed cricket pitch not be touched.[6] The parks name changed during the 1930s after the nearby Southchurch Hall and it's gardens were gifted to the people of Southend by the Dowsett family, although the campaign to name the park after Thomas Dowsett, former mayor and one of the Park's benefactors failed to reach fruition.[2] The park's cinder athletics track, installed during 1928 as part of a £2,000 investment that included a children's playground,[7][8] was replaced as the city's only facility with the opening of Garon Park in 1996,[9] with Southend-on-Sea Athletic Club moving to the new facility. Southchurch Park Bowls Club have been resident at the park since their formation in 1931,[10] while in the same year, the land east of the original park was purchased from the Southend Estates Company for car parking, additional recreation ground and hosting fetes and shows.[2] The east section of the park was previously home to the annual Southend Vintage Bus Rally that first ran in 1974, eventually becoming the Southend Bus and Transport show.[11][12] In 2020, the original gravel car park in the east section of the park was relaid at the cost of £520,000,[13] with the formerly free car park becoming a pay and display for non Southend residents.[14]
Football Ground
The park is the home of the Eastern Counties Football League side Southend Manor F.C.,[15] and previously was ground shared in 2019 with Clapton F.C. after their eviction from Forest Gate.[16] The ground, known as Southchurch Park Arena, is on the site of the former cinder athletics track.[17][2] Improvements, including a new boundary fence and a new 100-person spectator stand, plus replacing the dug outs happened in 2022, after the club was threatened with expulsion from the league as it did not meet FA rules.[18]
