Alexandra Park, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

The idea of creating a public park in Oldham was first suggested in 1846. When, in 1863, the Government offered loans at 3.5% for public works to relieve unemployment, the project was revived. An area of agricultural land, the Swine Clough Estate, owned by a Mr Cocker, was purchased on condition that the creation of the park was undertaken by operatives temporarily out of work due to the Cotton Famine. An additional twenty acres (about 8 hectares) of adjacent land was purchased, making a total area of seventy-two acres (30 hectares), and a total acquisition cost of £18,000. Nearly sixty acres (25 hectares) of this was designated for use as a public park, the remainder to be used for building plots.

A competition was held for the design of the park and, of the plans submitted, two were adopted: one by William Henderson of Birkenhead Park (see the description of this site elsewhere in the Register), the other by Messrs Woodhouse and Potts of Oldham. Work began on the park in 1863, and it was officially opened in August 1865 by the Mayor, having been completed at a cost of £31,000. The park was named after Princess Alexandra of Denmark to commemorate her marriage to the Prince of Wales.