Victoria Park

Green Flag award winner

Victoria Park is a large park in the Priory Ward of Taunton covering over 4 hectares.

Its facilities include three football pitches, playing fields, a hard court ball games area, a large children's play ground and a pavilion with public toilets, sports changing rooms and a meeting room.

The park has a supporters group known as Victoria Park Action Group and an inclusive youth arts club, ARTIC, run by Barnardos.

Refurbishment of Victoria Park

In 2005 the first of several projects to make the park a more diverse and interesting destination for recreation was put in place - a maze was cut into the grass turf for children to follow and proved very popular.

In December 2005 an Environmental Report suggested ways to improve the park to encourage wildlife. Hedge planting and meadow grassland are now part of the informal areas of the park and the wildlife garden is to be designed and planted with the community during 2006

Two new play areas and a hard court were built for the children and young people using the park. These were opened in March 2006 with a community fun day.

Ten oak trees were planted recently to commemorate the life of Ann Frank and the visit of the international exhibition about her to Taunton in 2006.

Further improvements

Following the new facilities built for children and young people last year, the Council is now proposing to make further improvements to bring Victoria Park up to a higher standard. Work will start in January 2007 on moving the remaining original park play equipment to the new play area site and the landscaping of the play and hard court scheme.

The Council would like to hear your views on its future proposals for; the new paths, improved entrances to create a sense of entry into a formal park, the removal of old fencing and hedges that obscure sight-lines, the creation of a new garden with an avenue of trees, a new informal picnic area and perhaps a feature sculpture.

A full size drawing of the proposal is on display on the notice board on the wall of Victoria Park Pavilion.

Victoria Park Concept Plans (1.3mb)

Comments on the plan can be sent to the Leisure Development Manager.

Taunton Deane Borough Council
The Deane House
Belvedere Road
Taunton
TA1 1HE

Email: k.hughes@tauntondeane.gov.uk

The history of Victoria Park

Victoria Recreation Ground, as it was first known, became Taunton's first public park in 1892. The site had been sold to the Council on 14 January 1891 by the executors of John Standfast, a local coach builder, for the sum of £1,078.06d. This original recreation ground consisted of the area of the current ornamental gardens, but there is little left of the original nineteenth century park except the gate piers at the Eastbourne Gate entrance.

The park was enlarged in 1929 when the Priory Land Development Company sold the area of land now used as public open space and playing fields with football pitches to the Council for £2,523.00. Further small strips of land for entrances and pathways were acquired in 1937.

As part of the "Dig for Victory" campaign during the Second World War, Victoria Park was dug up for vegetable growing and used as allotments. It wasn't' until 1953 that this area was returned to parkland.

In June 1984 Taunton Deane Borough Council traded a strip of land with Somerset County Council to enable the construction of Victoria Parkway, which is now known as Critchard Way. As a result, a small section of the park has been cut off from the main park and linked by the underpass.

Events in Victoria Park

Victoria Park Action Group

Victoria Park Action Group is an active group which welcomes new members. Details are available from:

Taunton Deane Borough Council
Parks and Amenities
Priory Depot
Priory Way
Taunton
TA1 2BB.

Tel: 01823 356347.
Fax: 01823 356490.
Email: Parks@tauntondeane.gov.uk

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