Pearson Park

Story

Pearson Park, originally known as the People's Park is a park in the west of Kingston upon Hull, England. It is situated about 1.5km north-west of the city centre of Hull with its main entrance on Beverley Road and its western boundary adjoining Princes Avenue.The park was established in 1862 through the gift of land by Zachariah Pearson, and was the first public park in the city.HistoryDuring the Victorian period the lack of or need for public spaces for working classes to exercise, or otherwise enjoy themselves became a public cause; in 1833 a parliamentary select committee on Public Walks published a paper which promoted the need for open green spaces in cities. An early proposal in Hull was for a 4.5mi walk around the town from Humber bank to Humber bank; this re-appeared as the Grand Victoria Promenade Company in 1845, which proposed a wide road and tree lined walk; the scheme did not go ahead, and the Victoria Dock Branch Line was built along a similar route. In the late 1850s an attempt was made to gain the rights to the use of the land of the former Hull Citadel for use as a public space, leading to an unsuccessful suit in the Court of Chancery in 1861 made by the Corporation of Hull against the Government.In 1860 the then Mayor, Zachariah Pearson, donated a 27acre plot to the board of health on the proviso it would be developed as a park. He retained 10acre on three sides of the park, and constructed a road to the land. At this time the land lay outside the urban growth of the town, close to the hamlet of Stepney.