Western Park is a park and surrounding suburb located in West End of Leicester.
The park itself was bought for £30,000 in 1897 and at 178 acres [1] is the biggest in Leicester [2]. While the park has a "blend of meadows, mature woods and hedgerows" [3] the park also contains a large number of sporting facilities including a bmx track, a skate ramp, 2 Bowling greens, 5 Football pitches, 6 Cricket pitches (all with associated changing facilities) and 6 Tennis courts[4]. Until the 1950s the Park's tennis courts, then located to the far West of the Park, were the home of Westcotes Church Tennis Club and then Westfields Lawn Tennis Club[5]. The club has now moved to a site on the nearby Eastfield Road, the courts on Western Park now being open to the public.
The park is also home to Groundworks Leicester & Leicestershire[6] and the associated Eco House. This show house demonstrates ways of making your home more environmentally friendly is open for the public and holds one-off events as well as trips from local schools[7]. Formerly run by 'Environ', the house and the surrounding recycling centre is now part of the larger Groundwork UK network [8].
The park is also home to a voluntary group, The Friends of Western Park, who work with the city council in an attempt to "improve the park for everyone"[9][10]
The area of Leicester sharing the park's name is a generally affluent area to the South and East of the park. As well as the park itself, the suburb also contains Dovelands Primary School which caters for 450 4-11 year olds as well as a small additional set of nursery school children [11], St. Anne's Parish Church [12], and the aforementioned Westfields Tennis Club; a floodlit four court club which caters to both children and adults from the local area and beyond [13].
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52°38′06″N 1°10′34″W / 52.635°N 1.176°W
References edit
- ^ http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/lc/parks-green-spaces/main-parks/western-park/western-history/
- ^ Friends of Western Park Introductory Leaflet
- ^ http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/lc/parks-green-spaces/main-parks/western-park/westernpark/
- ^ http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/lc/parks-green-spaces/main-parks/western-park/westernpark/
- ^ http://www.westfieldstennisclub.co.uk/history.htm
- ^ http://www.gwll.org.uk/AboutUs
- ^ http://www.gwll.org.uk/ecohouse
- ^ http://www.gwll.org.uk/index.asp?page=25
- ^ http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/lc/parks-green-spaces/main-parks/western-park/friends-of-western-park/
- ^ http://www.friendsofwesternpark.co.uk/
- ^ http://www.dovelands.leicester.sch.uk/parents/
- ^ http://www.achurchnearyou.com/leicester-st-anne/
- ^ http://www.westfieldstennisclub.co.uk/