Sunday, 29 November 2020

Wellington Park

Wellington Park is one of the town's best kept secrets. It opened in 1903 to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII.  It is a small formal park and is located at the south western end of Courtland Road.  It can also be accessed via Beech Grove but it is not well signposted. It covers an area of 1.8 hectares.  The site was given to the town by Fox Brothers & Co Ltd (a local clothmaking firm).  They also paid for the buildings and landscaping and provided £100 a year for 5 years to cover the running costs. 

Fox Brothers commissioned the Exeter based company Robert Veitch & Sons to design and build the park.  The park was designed by the German landscape gardener F.W. Meyer, who worked for Robert Veitch & Son for 30 years.  His design included a ha-ha, three Spanish colonial style entrances, a shelter, a rockery, a bandstand and a caretaker's lodge,  Work on laying out the park began in July 1902.  The building work was carried out by Messrs Follett Bros of Wellington. The park was opened to the public on 2nd May 1903. Later the same year the ownership of the park was transferred to Wellington Urban District Council.  In April 1974 the park was transferred to Taunton Deane Borough Council.  On 1st April 2025 it was handed over to Wellington Town Council.

The park, which is Grade II* listed, was restored in 2000 with money from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  The park's current design is largely unchanged from its original layout.

Mature plane trees lining the walk on the north east side of the park

South East entrance on Courtland Road

North entrance on Beech Grove

Floral bedding

Floral bedding

Ornamental pond

Rockery

War Memorial
This was unveiled on 17th June 1921 by F. Hugh Fox.  The names of the 178 local men, who died in the First World War.  After the Second World War the names of a further 58 men and 1 woman were added to it.  It is made from Cornish granite.

Shelter

Bandstand

Caretaker's Lodge

Caretaker's Lodge

Plaque on the Caretaker's Lodge

Drinking fountain

Ha-ha

Grove of lime trees

Floral bedding

Floral bedding

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