Preston Park, Brighton

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An eastward view of Preston Park.

Preston Park is a park near Preston Village in the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. It is located in Preston Park ward to the north of the centre of Brighton, and served by the nearby Preston Park railway station.^[1]

Overview

It is one of Brighton's largest parks, with 63 acres (250,000 m²) of lawns, formal borders and rose gardens, bowling greens, tennis courts and a small pond. It was bought in 1883 by Brighton Corporation (then Brighton's local authority) from Mr William Bennett-Stanford ^[2] who owned the Preston Manor estate and had begun to develop the park as enclosed pleasure grounds. The costs of the purchase (£50,000) and initial layout (£22,868) were funded with a bequest of £70,000 from a local bookmaker, William Edmund Davies in 1879. The park was formally declared open on 8 November 1884.

The Brighton and County Polo Club, started by Lt. Col. Robert McKergow in 1904, was based in Preston Park.^[3] An earlier club, the International Gun and Polo Club, founded by George Mashall in 1874, used grounds in Preston, probably Preston Park, though the club itself was based in the Bedford Hotel.^[3]

The park remains green throughout the summer because of a non-drinkable underground water source, known as the Wellesbourne, which runs below Preston Park, London Road and The Level. The source dates back many centuries and is often referred to as Brighton's lost river. In 2000, after torrential rain, it rose and caused considerable damage.^[4]

The park is host to various annual events including the festival at the end of the Brighton & Hove Pride parade,^[5] the start of the Brighton Marathon,^[6] a circus during the Brighton Festival and a large starting event for the Take Part sports festival.^[7]

Opposite the park, across the main London Road, is The Rockery—the largest municipal rock garden in Britain ^[2] built up the side of a steep railway embankment. Various pathways and streams wind through its grounds. It was originally a wooded area which had been purchased along with the land used for the main park; it was landscaped into its present form in 1935 by Captain B Maclaren. Originally, the area was known as "The Rookery", referring to the tall trees in the former wood which were frequented by rooks. Over time, the name was modified into "The Rockery".

The surrounding neighbourhood is also widely referred to as Preston Park. It is distinct from the further outlying Preston Village.

Statue theft

In 2007, a statue of Steve Ovett by Peter Webster was stolen by a 44-year-old woman, of no fixed address. The woman was later arrested. Part of the statue, which had been sliced off at the ankle, was recovered but police believe that it had been sold to scrap dealers.^[8]

Gallery

• 

  View across the park from near the top of The Rockery, showing the main pool and the A23.

• 

  The Rotunda café, next to the Rose Garden at the southern end of the park.

• 

  The Rose Garden, restored in 2003. The London Road viaduct is in the background.

• 

  View towards the South Downs from the top of The Rockery, with Preston Village on the left.

• 

  One of the pools in the lower section of the Rockery.

• 

  Small building on the lower level of The Rockery.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Preston Park

• Brighton tourist information
• Brighton & Hove City Council
• Friends of Preston Park

Coordinates: 50°50′29″N 00°08′52″W / 50.84139°N 0.14778°W / 50.84139; -0.14778