The Peterborough Land Company bought 134.8 hectares of land to the north of the city in 1875. The land was to be developed for housing, with a park planned at the centre. The partially complete park was opened at Easter 1877, with admittance being through subscription only. “The Park” as it was known back then, remained relatively unchanged until after 1908, when the City Council took over responsibility for the site on a 999 year lease.
Here are some old photos showing 'The Park' , curtesy of Peterborough Images Archive (www.peterboroughimages.co.uk) who have kindly permitted the use of the images.
A lovely 1913 image showing the old bandstand in Central Park
A 1913 image showing local well dressed Peterborians watching a band in Central Park.
A superb image capturing well dressed children enjoying themselves around the bandstand in Central Park in 1915.
The old bandstand in Central Park, pictured in 1936.
No date or details about this image - does anyone know what the building is on the right hand side?
An undated image showing an attentive group of locals in Central Park with the bandstand in the far distance.
A nice coloured but undated image showing the bandstand at Central Park. The end of the road for the Central Park bandstand happened in 1965 when it was demolished and consigned to history.
Kids at play in Central Park – date unknown.
Pictured just after the conclusion of the Great War, two captured German guns stand guard at the entrance to Central Park with the bandstand just visible in the distance.
Marked as Peterborough’s “war trophy” and dated 12th August 1919, this supposed captured German tank – it was actually a British tank – was brought to Central Park in 1919 and remained there until it was cut up for 30 tonnes of scrap in 1938 after being purchased by Mr W Evans of St Johns street.
A nice collection of early images featuring Central Park.
Some great images from a bygone era, but are there any more images out there that capture the changes in the park over the years? If you come across any photos from the early years up to early 2000 - please let us know - we would love to share them on the website and our social media platforms.