User:Beejamjam/sandbox4
Public park in Norwich, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wensum Park is a grade II listed public park in Norwich. The park is situated on the north-west side of the city and on the bank of the River Wensum, its namesake. It is one of five parks laid out in this period by Norwich Parks Superintendent Captain Arnold Sandys-Winsch, the others being the Eaton, Waterloo, and Heigham Parks, and Mile Cross Gardens.[1]
| Wensum Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of Wensum Park | |
| Type | Public |
| Location | Norwich |
| OS grid | TG 22418 09856[1] |
| Coordinates | 52.6408°N 1.2859°E |
| Area | 4 hectares (40,000 m2) |
| Opened | 1925 |
| Designer | Arnold Sandys-Winsch |
| Administered by | Norwich City Council |
The park was placed on the Heritage at Risk Register in 2025.
Description
The 4-hectare (9.9-acre) sloping site lies on the north-west side of the city of Norwich; Drayton Road is situated to the north-east and the River Wensum to the south-west. St Martin's Road is on the park's east boundary and on its west are factories. Its main entrance, a wrought iron gate, is on the corner of the two roads. There are two other gates onto Drayton Road and to the factories.[1]
From its main entrance is a balustraded viewing platform that looks over the park, underneath which there is a shelter. Steps lead down to the main park, and there is a circular rose garden, originally centred on a fountain and pool that later became a flower bed. To the south side is a paddling pool, and to the north side is an octagonal flower garden, both enclosed by hedges. There is a walk around the park's perimeter, and a toilet block near the riverbank. A watercourse channels water from the river into the park from the northern boundary. There is an enclosed children's playground in the north.[1]
History
In 1907, the city of Norwich purchased the land on which Wensum Park would later sit, and by 1910 a swimming bath, bathing pool, wading pool, and shelter had been constructed on the site. By 1921, the area around the pools were being used as an unofficial tip, and so a scheme was put forward that would change the site into a formal public park. Norwich Parks Superintendent Captain Arnold Sandys-Winsch, protégé of Thomas Mawson, designed the site. Making use of unemployed labour, the park was constructed over four years before being opened in 1925.[1]
In the late 20th century a picnic platform was added by the water's edge, and in the 1990s a rose garden to the south of the central circle was converted into the paddling pool. The replacement wood bridges which would have crossed the watercourse were gone by 1999.[1]
Historic England listed the building as grade II in 1993.[1] Alongside Mile Cross Gardens in 2025, Wensum Park was placed on the Heritage at Risk Register as "years of underinvestment [had] left their historic features in decay".[2]
