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.
5. The War Memorial marks the deaths of more than 8,800 soldiers
The York and Lancaster Regiment Memorial within the park, unveiled on July 7, 1923, is topped by a figure of winged victory with a World War I officer and private flanking the central column. It is inscribed: “To the everlasting honour and glory of the 8,814 officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the York and Lancaster Regiment who fell in the Great War 1914-1919 - also of 1,222 members of the regiment who fell in the war 1939-1945." Photo: Marie Caley
6. The ducks have a family tree
Mallards can be seen swimming on the park's lake - these are said to be descended from the two ducks and a drake presented to Weston Park in 1888 by the Bandon Duck Company of Ireland. Photo: Picture Sheffield
7. There was a long-gone fountain
Near the park's top gates there was once an iron fountain with four basins - this disappeared sometime in the late 1930s. Photo: Picture Sheffield
8. The bandstand has rarity value
The Weston Park bandstand is the last surviving Victorian bandstand in Sheffield. It was designed in 1874 by Sheffield architects Flockton & Gibbs, but wasn't built until about 1900. It was paid for by the profits from the city's original tram system, and underwent a full restoration in 2008. Photo: Marie Caley