List of parks and gardens in Belfast

Last updated

Dunville Park Dunville Park 2.jpg
Dunville Park

Belfast, Northern Ireland has over forty public parks. The Forest of Belfast is a partnership between government and local groups, set up in 1992 to manage and conserve the city's parks and open spaces. They have also commissioned more than 30 public sculptures since 1993. [1] In 2006, the City Council also set aside £8 million to continue this work. [2] The Belfast Naturalists' Field Club was founded in 1863 and is administered by National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland. [3]

Contents

One of the most popular parks [4] is Botanic Gardens in the Queen's Quarter. Built in the 1830s and designed by Sir Charles Lanyon, Botanic Gardens Palm House is one of the earliest examples of a curvilinear and cast iron glasshouse. [5] Attractions in the park also include the Tropical Ravine, a humid jungle glen built in 1889, [4] rose gardens and public events ranging from live opera broadcasts to pop concerts. U2 played here in 1997 and the Tennents Vital festival takes place in the gardens each summer.

Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, to the south of the city centre, attracts thousands of visitors each year to its International Rose Garden. [6] Rose Week in July each year boasts over 20,000 blooms. [7] It has an area of 128 acres (0.52 km2) of meadows, woodland and gardens and also features a Princess Diana Memorial Garden, a Japanese Garden, a walled garden, and the Golden Crown Fountain commissioned in 2002 as part of the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations. [6]

Woodvale Park is traditional City Park, which provides a range of passive and active recreation. The main facilities include Bowling Greens, Soccer pitches, a Kick about area and Play area. A network of paths through rolling lawns, shrubs borders and mature trees link these facilities. Historically Woodvale Park has been one of the main parks for the 26,000 people who make up the Greater Shankill area, due to regeneration in the area the population is increasing.

History

Woodvale Park became Belfast's fourth public park when it opened in 1888. The land was bought by Belfast Corporation from Reverend Glover. He had lived in a house called Woodville that once stood in the park. The park was due to be called Shankill Park, but the name was changed to Woodvale at the last minute. The opening was set for 3.00pm on Saturday 18 August 1888. By 3.35pm the dignitaries had not turned up and so one of the rangers took the key admit the large crowd. The park included a large pond, which was used by local people in wintertime for skating. Cricket was first played in the park in 1894, although the authorities were wary of possible injury to other park users. The pond was filled in after the Second World War and a children's playground established in its place.

Full list

Name of parkLocationNotes
Alexandra Park near Antrim Road, north Belfast
Alderman Tommy Patton Memorial ParkInverary Avenue, Holywood Road, east BelfastCommonly known as Inverary Playing Fields [8]
Belfast Castle near Antrim Road, north Belfast
Barnett Demesnenear Shaw's Bridge, south Belfast
Belmont ParkCairnburn Road, east BelfastSemi-wild [9]
Botanic Gardens University area, south BelfastContains Palm House and Tropical Ravine [10] Botanic station.
Carnanmore Parknear Stewartstown Road, south-west Belfast
Carmena Allen Memorial Park Braniel, east BelfastBetter known as Braniel Park or sometimes Sam's Park
Carr's Glen Linear ParkBallysillan Road, north Belfast
Cavehill Country Parknear Antrim Road, north BelfastTwo time Green Flag Award winner [11]
City Hall Donegall Square, central Belfast
Clarawood Millennium Parknear Knock Road, east Belfast
Clement Wilson ParkNewforge Lane, south Belfast
Comber Greenway East Belfast to Comber Seven mile cycle route along path of a disused railway [12]
Dover Street Millennium Parknear Shankill Road, west Belfast
Dr Pitt Memorial ParkNewtownards Road, east Belfast
Drumglass ParkLisburn Road, south BelfastAlso called Cranmore or Marlborough Park [13]
Dunville Park Falls Road, west Belfast
Falls ParkFalls Road, west BelfastFacing Milltown cemetery [14]
Finlay ParkWhitewell Road, north Belfast
Forthriver ParkBallygomartin Road, west Belfast
Gasworks Ormeau Road, south BelfastBusiness park [15]
Giant's Park Dargan Road, north-east BelfastProposal for future park [16]
Giant's Ring Ballynahatty, south Belfast
Glenbank ParkLigoniel Road, north-west Belfast
Glencairn ParkGlencairn Road, west Belfast
Greenville ParkGrand Parade, Castlereagh Road, east Belfast
Grovelands Stockman's Lane, south-west Belfast
King William Parknear Lisburn Road, south Belfastone of Belfast's smallest parks [17]
Knocknagoney Linear ParkHolywood Road, east Belfast
Lagan Meadowsalong the River Lagan, south Belfastpartial nature reserve [18]
Lenadoon Millennium Parknear Stewartstown Road, west Belfast
Ligoniel ParkLigoniel Road, north-west Belfast
Loughside ParkShore Road, north Belfast
Marrowbone Millennium ParkOldpark Road, north Belfast
Michelle Baird Memorial ParkForthriver Road, west Belfast
Musgrave Park Stockman's Lane, south-west Belfast2010 Green Flag Award winner [19]
Northwood Linear ParkShore Road, north Belfast
Orangefield ParkOrangefield Lane, East Belfast
Ormeau Park Ormeau Road, south Belfast
Roddens Park Braniel, east BelfastNot to be confused with a nearby street with the same name
Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park Upper Malone Road, south BelfastAnnual Rose Week every July [20]
Springhill Millennium ParkSpringhill Avenue, Springfield Road, west Belfast
Springfield ParkSpringfield Road, west Belfast
Victoria Park Park Avenue near Holywood Road, east BelfastContains a lake [21] Near Sydenham station.
Waterworksbetween Antrim Road and Cavehill Road, north BelfastFormer source of city's water supply [22]
Woodvale Park Woodvale Road, upper Shankill, north-west Belfast
Wedderburn Parknear Lisburn Road, south BelfastContains playing fields, bowling green and tennis courts [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast</span> Capital and largest city in Northern Ireland

Belfast is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel. It is second to Dublin as the largest city on the island of Ireland with a population in 2021 of 345,418 and a metro area population of 671,559.

Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and roughly 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Belfast. The town is linked to Belfast by both the M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin railway line. Lurgan had a population of about 28,634 at the 2021 UK census, and falls within the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon district. For certain purposes, Lurgan is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area", along with neighbouring Craigavon and Portadown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast North (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885–1918 and since 1922

Belfast North is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is John Finucane of Sinn Féin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885–1918 and since 1922

Belfast West is a parliamentary constituency (seat) in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The current MP is Paul Maskey of Sinn Féin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shankill Road</span> Main road leading through west Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Shankill Road is one of the main roads leading through West Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It runs through the working-class, predominantly loyalist, area known as the Shankill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast City Hall</span> Municipal building in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast City Hall is the civic building of Belfast City Council located in Donegall Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It faces North and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre. It is a Grade A listed building.

Belfast is the largest city and capital of Northern Ireland. It is partly located in County Antrim and partly in County Down.

The Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park is a park in South Belfast, Northern Ireland, covering almost 130 acres (0.53 km2) and is accessible from the Upper Malone Road. It includes meadows, woodland, riverside fields, formal rose gardens, a walled garden and a Japanese garden, as well as a children's playground, coffee shop, an orienteering course and many walks. It is owned and maintained by Belfast City Council's Parks and Cemeteries Services Section. On 14 July 2010, the park hosted annual International Rose Trials, the highlight of Rose Week, involving judges from around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Smyth</span> Northern Irish politician (1939–2014)

Hugh Smyth OBE was a Northern Irish Ulster Loyalist and politician who was leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) from 1979 to 2002, as well as during an interim period in 2011. He was Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1994 to 1995, as well as a Belfast City Councillor for the Court DEA from 1972 to 2014, making him one of the longest-serving members on the Council. Smyth was awarded the Order of the British Empire in the 1996 New Year's Honours list.

Sir Thomas James Dixon, 2nd Baronet, PC (NI), was a Northern Ireland politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interface area</span> Area in Northern Ireland where nationalist and unionist neighborhoods meet

Interface area is the name given in Northern Ireland to areas where segregated nationalist and unionist residential areas meet. They have been defined as "the intersection of segregated and polarised working class residential zones, in areas with a strong link between territory and ethno-political identity".

Sir William George Turner was an American-born unionist politician in Northern Ireland, who served as Lord Mayor of Belfast for over five years.

The electoral wards of Belfast are subdivisions of the city, used primarily for statistics and elections. Belfast had 51 wards from May 1973, which were revised in May 1985 and again in May 1993. The number of wards was increased to 60 with the 2014 changes in local government. Wards are the smallest administrative unit in Northern Ireland and are set by the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner and reviewed every 8–12 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Court (District Electoral Area)</span>

Court is one of the ten district electoral areas (DEA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Located in the north and west of the city, the district elects six members to Belfast City Council and contains the wards of Ballygomartin, Clonard, Falls, Forth River, Shankill, and Woodvale. Court is split between the Belfast North and Belfast West constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose trial grounds</span>

Rose trial grounds or rose test gardens are agricultural areas where garden roses are grown to be assessed for qualities such as health, floriferousness, novelty, and scent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crumlin Road</span> Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Crumlin Road is a main road in north-west Belfast, Northern Ireland. The road runs from north of Belfast City Centre for about four miles to the outskirts of the city. It also forms part of the longer A52 road which leads out of Belfast to the town of Crumlin. The lower section of the road houses a number of historic buildings, including the city's former law courts and prison, whilst the road encompasses several large housing areas, including Ardoyne, Ballysillan and Ligoniel(from Irish Lag an Aoil, meaning 'hollow of the lime').

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musgrave Park, Belfast</span>

Musgrave Park is a public park in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodvale Park</span>

Woodvale Park is a park in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Opened in 1888 and run by the city council, it provides a venue for association football and bowls as well as a children's play area and landscaped areas for walking. The park is home to the Peace Tree, an oak planted in 1919 to commemorate the end of the First World War, which was voted Northern Ireland's Tree of the Year for 2015. The European War Memorial honouring those from all sides killed during the First World War was unveiled in the park in 2014.

John Craig Wallace was a horticulturalist and writer. He was Director of Parks for Belfast City Council (1972–1988) and founded the Rose Society of Northern Ireland.

References

  1. ↑ "Forest of Belfast". Belfast City Council. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  2. ↑ "Your City, Your Space" (PDF). Belfast City Council. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  3. ↑ "About the Field Club". Belfast Naturalists' Field Club. Archived from the original on 22 April 2003. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  4. 1 2 "Botanic Gardens". Belfast City Council. Archived from the original on 18 April 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  5. ↑ "Palm House Botanic Gardens, Belfast City". Houses, Castles and Gardens of Ireland. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  6. 1 2 "Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park and City of Belfast International Rose Garden". Go To Belfast. Archived from the original on 30 April 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  7. ↑ "Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park". Discover Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Tourist Board. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  8. ↑ Alderman Tommy Patton Memorial Park Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Belmont Park
  10. ↑ "Botanic Gardens". Archived from the original on 17 July 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  11. ↑ Cave Hill Country Park
  12. ↑ The Comber Greenway Archived 2010-12-31 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ Drumglass Park
  14. ↑ Falls Park
  15. ↑ Gasworks
  16. ↑ Giant's Park proposal Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ King William Park
  18. ↑ Lagan Meadows
  19. ↑ "Musgrave Park". Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  20. ↑ Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park
  21. ↑ Victoria Park
  22. ↑ "Waterworks". Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  23. ↑ Wedderburn Park
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.