NZ2561 : Geese, Saltwell Park
taken 14 years ago, near to Gateshead, England
Saltwell Park is a large Victorian park situated in Gateshead. The major part of the park was designed by Edward Kemp. Also known as the 'People's Park' and part of Gateshead's heritage since it opened to the public in 1876, the park is steeped in history. Thanks to a £10 million restoration project 2002-2005 funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Gateshead Council, the park has been restored to its former glory.
Saltwell Park has been given numerous prestigious awards, such as "Britain's Best Park" 2005 and "Green Flag Award" 2006 amongst others.
At the centre lies William Wailes's former home, the Grade II listed Saltwell Towers, also restored, with the addition of a café and visitor information points located in the building.
The park also contains a boating lake, children's play areas including animal stables, aviaries, a stream (The Dene), bandstand, a yew-hedge maze, bowling greens and tennis courts. The park's bandstand was at one time situated in the middle of the lake and bands had to travel across the lake by boat.
War memorials, decorative seats and many items of public art are also to be found.
Link
A detailed descriptive history of the park is given here Link
Other images of Saltwell Park on Geograph (including mine) can be found here Link
Tyne and Wear HER(5004): Gateshead, Saltwell Park Link
The lake is one of the main features of Saltwell Park, and was constructed in 1880. Bore-holes were drilled through the site and in August 1880 a tender for the construction of a 4 acre lake with island rockery was accepted. The lake was completed by the end of the year and Joseph Wilson Swan was asked to advise on the lighting of the lake by gas or electricity, but no action appears to have been taken. Skating on the frozen lake began in December 1880. In 1886 the Gateshead Model Yacht Club began to use part of the lake, and this led to endless disputes with users of rowing boats. These had been in use for some years and various other forms of water transport were tried with varying degrees of success. A motor-boat, the John Maccoy, began to ply the lake in 1909 Link