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Alexandra Park, Oldham

ALEXANDRA PARK:
Job creation schemes are not only a modern phenomenon; Oldham’s Alexandra Park is an example of such a scheme from the mid nineteenth century.

The American Civil War had prevented the export of raw cotton from America and created “The Lancashire Cotton Famine” (LinkExternal link ) of 1861–1865 causing chronic unemployment in the Lancashire textile towns such as Oldham. The town council was offered a loan by the government of the day to purchase the Swine Clough Estate on condition that unemployed cotton workers were employed to carry out the work.

Work began in 1863 and the park was officially opened in August, 1865; an event commemorated by a blue plaque (SD9204 : Alexandra Park: Blue Plaque ) on the wall of the North Lodge. Somewhat ironically, the American Civil War had ended earlier that year and cotton was once more being supplied to the Lancashire mills. The park was given its name in honour of Princess Alexandra who had recently married Albert, Prince of Wales.

Although the “Cotton Famine Park” became somewhat run down in the latter half of the twentieth century, it has now been restored to its former glory with significant investment backed by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and was reopened in 2004 with refurbishment bringing a return to the near-original landscape as envisaged in 1863.

Alexandra Park is a Grade Two site of national importance on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.

There is an excellent website (LinkExternal link ) which provides a history of Alexandra Park in postcards and photographs showing comparisons between its current appearance and views from the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries. Some other links are given below:

LinkExternal link - The Cotton Famine (Wikipedia)
LinkExternal link Alexandra Park (Oldham Council)
LinkExternal link (Flickr group)
by David Dixon

Created: Mon, 4 Mar 2013, Updated: Sun, 9 Mar 2014


35 images use this description. Preview sample shown below:

SD9204 : Alexandra Park, Oldham by David Dixon
SD9303 : Blind Joe by David Dixon
SD9204 : Alexandra Park Entrance and Lodge by David Dixon
SD9204 : Boating Lake and Boathouse, Alexandra Park by David Dixon
SD9204 : Emma the Flower Girl, Alexandra Park by David Dixon
SD9204 : Lake and Bridge, Alexandra Park by David Dixon
SD9304 : Alexandra Park, Fountain by David Dixon
SD9303 : The Conservatory, Alexandra Park by David Dixon
SD9204 : Boathouse and Boating Lake, Alexandra Park by David Dixon
SD9204 : Alexandra Park: Blue Plaque by David Dixon
SD9303 : Alexandra Park, Statue of Joseph Howarth by David Dixon
SD9303 : Blind Joe the Bellman by David Dixon
SD9303 : Cornerstone, Alexandra Park Pagoda by David Dixon
SD9303 : The Pagoda (observatory) Alexandra Park by David Dixon
SD9304 : Alexandra Park; Pavilion Gate and Bowling Green by David Dixon
SD9304 : John Platt Statue, Alexandra Park by David Dixon
SD9204 : Alexandra Park Boating Lake by David Dixon
SD9304 : Alexandra Park, Oldham by David Dixon
SD9304 : Alexandra Park, Oldham by David Dixon
SD9303 : Blind Joe's Pedestal by David Dixon
SD9204 : The Lake, Alexandra Park by David Dixon
SD9304 : Fountain, Alexandra Park by David Dixon
SD9303 : Alexandra Park, Blind Joe's Statue by David Dixon
SD9304 : Alexandra Park, Oldham by David Dixon
SD9303 : Alexandra Park Conservatory by David Dixon

... and 10 more images.

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