Weston Park is one of Sheffield’s finest green spaces – but many people who regularly enjoy a stroll through the grounds or a visit to the museum might be unaware of the site's detailed history.Here are 10 illuminating facts about the park, from the preciousness of the bandstand to the origins of the lake's mallards.
Acknowledgement is given to past research by the Friends of Crookesmoor Parks and Museums Sheffield.
1. It has an important link to Regent's Park in London
Opened in 1875, Weston Park was designed by Robert Marnock, who was also responsible for Bretton Park, Regent’s Park in London, the Botanical Gardens and the grounds of several large houses in Sheffield. The park was the first bought with public funds to be made available to the people of Sheffield. Photo: Steve Ellis
2. Weston Park Museum began in a family's old house
Weston Park Museum opened in 1875 in Weston House - the property's grounds became the park. In 1887 the Mappin Art Gallery was built next door to house the collection of John Newton Mappin, a brewer, and his nephew, Frederick Thorpe Mappin, who stipulated that their art had to be seen by the public 'in perpetuity and without charge'. Photo: Steve Ellis
3. The park is a sawmaker's legacy
This is the last photo of Weston Hall, taken in 1936. It had been the home of Miss Eliza and Miss Anne Harrison, the daughters of Thomas Harrison, a saw-maker, who built the hall. The Harrisons gave money to build churches and schools in Sheffield. In 1873, Weston Hall and its grounds were purchased from the Harrison Trust by the Sheffield Corporation. Photo: Archive
4. The Elliott statue honours a determined campaigner
Ebenezer Elliott, known as ‘The Corn-Law Rhymer’, was an iron founder and poet who lived from 1781 to 1849. He is best known for campaigning against the corn laws which kept the price of bread high. The bronze statue on a granite base, by N.N. Burnand, was moved to the park in 1875 from outside the Post Office on High Street. Stephen Taylor the great-great-grandson of Elliott is pictured at his ancestor's statue in 2001. Photo: Mike Waistell