Avenham Park : Attraction of Preston

Avenham Park is a public parkland located on the banks of the river Ribble in Preston, Lancashire in north west England. it was established in the Victorian era, and now has many fully grown trees, including horse chestnuts and oaks. The park is one of two city centre Victorian parklands in Preston, the other being its sister and neighbour the smaller Miller Park. The two parks are separated by an embankment constructed for a railway which closed in the 1970s. The embankment leads to a viaduct across the river, which is a Grade ii listed building.

The land has been preserved as parkland because building work would be difficult as the embankment of the river floods from time to time. The park was designed by Edward Milner.

This park is more informal than its neighbour and includes long open lawn areas. On Easter Sunday children roll decorated eggs down its grassy slopes in a race. The park contains a large Japanese garden which is one of the best of its kind. However a lot of weathered limestone is used, which is considered to be environmentally unfriendly to the limestone pavements from which they are taken.

The field in the centre of the park has a gentle slope towards the river, and acts as a natural amphitheatre. A brick and concrete stage dating from the 1950s was built to enable the area to be used for concerts. This construction has surprisingly good acoustic qualities. in recent years, the park has been used as the location for a number of festivals including Preston’s Mela, which celebrates the culture of the city’s large Asian community.

Another major feature of the park is a pavilion on high ground overlooking the field, locally known as the “White House” or the “Light House”.

in general, the layout of the park is little changed from when the park was first laid out. An 1889 map[1] still provides an accurate representation of the park today.

Proposed developments

There are plans to replace the sound stage with a more modern construction which will also incorporate a police post. in addition, improved lighting and toilet facilities will be installed in the park. These improvements, if implemented, will help address complaints of crime and anti-social behaviour in the park.