Identification and description | |||||||
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Name | SCOTT PARK | ||||||
Location |
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Localisation | Latitude: 53.780975 Longitude: -2.2564921 National Grid Reference: SD 83196 31658 Map: Download a full scale map (PDF) |
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Overview | Heritage Category: Park and Garden Grade: II List Entry Number: 1001533 Date first listed: 04-Jun-2001 |
A public park designed by Robert Murray and opened in 1895 with additional sports
areas added in the early C20.
HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT
Scott Park is named after John Hargreaves Scott, a prominent Burnley businessman,
an Alderman, and Mayor in 1871-3. Scott and his wife had no children. In 1880 he made
a will leaving the majority of his estate to his wife, the residue on her death to
be used to purchase and lay out a public park for the people of Burnley. Scott died
in 1881 and Mrs Scott in 1884. Scott's trustees, R J Hurtley and Alderman G Sutcliffe
eventually purchased c 7.3ha of the Halstead (Hood House) estate to the south of the
town.
The design for the park was by Robert Murray who had been responsible for the design
of Queen's Park (qv), opened in 1893 in the north-east of the town. Murray subsequently
became its superintendent (Express and Advertiser 1895). As at Queen's Park, the Borough
Surveyor, F S Button was responsible for the construction of the boundary walls, lodge,
bridges, shelters, and paths; at Scott Park he was aided by his assistant G H Pickles.
As part of the park works a new 12m wide road, Scott Park Road, was constructed at
the north end of the park linking Manchester Road to the east with Coal Clough Lane
to the west (Burnley Gazette 1895).
The park was officially opened on 8 August 1895 by the Mayor, Alderman Mitchell who
also received the deeds for the park from Scott's trustees on behalf of the people
of Burnley. A monument to Scott, designed by the then Borough Surveyor, G H Pickles,
was unveiled in the park in 1898. A bust of Scott, sculpted by John Cassidy of Manchester,
was added to the monument in 1899 (Burnley Gazette 1899).
A bowling green was added in 1897 (Hall and Spencer 1993) and a second green and tennis
courts in the early C20 (OS 1931). In the late C20 the former c. 0.6ha site of Hood
(formerly Lower Hood) House, lying between the park and Manchester Road, was added
to the park. Scott Park remains (2001) in use as a public park and in the ownership
of Burnley Borough Council.
DESCRIPTION
LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING Scott Park lies on rising ground c 0.9km
to the south-west of Burnley town centre and is c 8ha in area. To the north-east the
park is bounded by Scott Park Road with a c 0.6m high stone wall topped by c 0.75m
high railings with decorative open-scroll panels and barley-twist verticals, the whole
stepped to follow the sloping ground. Wall and railings are described in reports of
the park's opening in 1895 (Burnley Gazette). Elsewhere the boundaries are generally
marked by c 1.2m high late C19 railings without panels. The east boundary of the park
with Manchester Road is marked by a c 2.2m high stone wall and the short south boundary
with Pendlehurst Street by C20 timber fencing.
Late C19 terraced housing faces south onto the park across Scott Park Road. To the
north-west, east, and south-east late C19 and early C20 terraced and semi-detached
houses face onto the park across Western Avenue, Park Avenue, and Landseer Close,
all footpaths c 2m wide. To the north-west a similar footpath arrangement serves the
properties to the south-west and north-east of Fern Road. To the east, north of Park
Avenue, the park is bounded by the gardens of detached and semi-detached villas of
c 1900 on Pendlehurst Street. To the south-west the park is bounded by the gardens
of c 1900 villas set in large plots lying above the level of the park.
The irregular site rises gently from north to south and from west to east. Within
the park the ground is dramatically contoured on either side of a meandering stream
running from south to north. The area around the park is predominantly residential
with C19 housing dominating to the north and C20 to the south. From the higher levels
in the east and south-east of the park there are views out over the town to the north.
ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES The principal entrance lies on the north-east boundary with
Scott Park Road, opposite the junction with Albion Street which was extended from
the north when Scott Park Road was constructed in conjunction with the park. The entrance
is set back from the road between curving stone walls with railings. It is marked
by a carriage entrance flanked by two pedestrian entrances set between stone gate
piers, all three gateways supporting late C19 ornamental iron gates. To the east of
the entrance there formerly stood a late C19 two-storey stone lodge (Plan, Button
1895; OS 1912).
Two further entrances, from the north-west off Fern Road and from the east off Carr
Road, are in similar style; at each however a carriage entrance only is set on the
line of the boundary between stone piers with late C19 gates. A pedestrian entrance
with C20 timber gate gives access from the south off Pendlehurst Street to the C20
extension of the park in the north-east. A service access from Manchester Road to
the east has a pair of C20 timber gates.
GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS A principal feature of Scott Park is the stream which
divides the site into two unequal halves to west and east. The stream enters the site
from a valley to the south and follows an irregular line to the north-west boundary,
with curving paths running beside, crossing over, and overlooking the watercourse.
The site is largely encircled by a serpentine path.
Some 10m south-west of the north-east entrance the main path divides, one arm curving
west to follow the north-west boundary to the Fern Road entrance and the other curving
south-east then south with evergreen hedging to the east side. These paths enclose
a grassed area containing tennis courts and an early C20 single-storey pavilion. The
pavilion lies 50m south-west of the north-east entrance and is of timber on a stone
base with a hipped slate roof. To the south-west of the pavilion the tennis courts
are set below an embankment to the east and are embanked above the lower ground to
the west and south-west. Both pavilion and tennis courts are first indicated on the
OS map of 1931. In the north-east of the park, adjoining Scott Park Road, there is
a groundsmen's compound with a late C19 single-storey building in stone below a blue
slate roof, facing towards and visible from the road. To the west and south of the
compound there are two bowling greens, the latter set on an embankment. The south
bowling green is shown on the 1912 OS map and the other on that of 1931. Between the
bowling greens is a late C20 brick pavilion; the 1931 OS map indicates an earlier
building in the same location.
To both north and south of the southern bowling green, paths lead east into the extension
of the park bounded by Manchester Road. This area, laid to grass and trees, is screened
to the west by dense shrub planting with an embankment to the north-east corner indicating
the outline of the former Hood House (OS 1931).
South of the bowling pavilion the main eastern path curves south in a broad arc for
c 240m. Some 90m south of the north-east entrance a further path leads south-west,
down into the wooded stream valley and towards the Fern Road entrance. Another path,
flanked by formal rose beds in grass, leads east-south-east to the Scott monument.
To the west of the main eastern path and 200m south of the north-east entrance stands
the bandstand, set on a level plateau c 40m in diameter with shallow steps c 15m wide
set into the slope to the south. The plateau overlooks the lower ground of the park
to the west and north-west with views over the town to the north. The late C19 octagonal
bandstand has bracketed cast-iron columns set on a stone plinth below a slated octagonal
roof. Descriptions of the opening of the park refer to a lantern to the roof (Burnley
Gazette 1895) which no longer (2001) survives and the present balustrading appears
to be C20. Late C20 children's play equipment is laid out around the bandstand.
A secondary path branches south from the east path 270m south of the north-east entrance
and follows a serpentine route through the highest ground in the park, adjacent to
the east boundary. A level area 90m north-west of the south-east Carr Road entrance
overlooks the park to the west and north-west. Descriptions of the opening of the
park note that this area was formerly the kitchen garden of the demolished Hood House
(ibid). The main eastern path divides 330m south of the principal entrance, with one
arm curving south-east and leading up in a serpentine route to the Carr Road entrance
and the other dropping down to the south-west boundary path. Secondary paths from
this junction lead north-west and east with a small C20 children's play area immediately
to the north.
In the south-east corner, a serpentine path leads down from the Carr Road entrance
to the south corner of the park before turning north-west to follow the line of the
stream running outside but adjacent to the south-west boundary. This section of path
is partly edged with stonework with views of the park to the north screened by a steep
embankment to the north-east with tree and shrub planting. The stream enters the park
below an arch set in a stone wall built across the watercourse at a point 380m south-south-west
of the north-east entrance. This feature is mentioned in descriptions of the opening
of the park (ibid), together with a footbridge which no longer (2001) exists. To the
north-east of the arch the embankment to the north-east of the path is set back to
form an enclosed dell from which the boundary path continues north-west. It crosses
the winding stream carried by a level bridge with low stone parapets. Rockwork flanks
the sides of the stream and extends into the stream bed to form a series of shallow
weirs.
The path divides into two 280m south-south-west of the principal entrance, with the
western arm leading to the Fern Road entrance and the other arm continuing north,
following the line of the stream and leading to three further bridge crossings. A
stone shelter with slate roof is set against the south-west boundary 100m south-south-east
of the Fern Road entrance. From the Fern Road entrance a serpentine path follows the
line of the north-west boundary to the principal entrance from Scott Park Road, crossing
the stream over the third northernmost bridge with its stone parapet at a point 140m
south-west of the entrance. To the south-east of this bridge the stream widens between
shallow weirs to form an oval pond with stone and concrete surround, overlooked by
the Scott monument at the head of a steep bank to the north-east.
Scott Park is well maintained with many mature trees and shrubs. On the opening of
the park in 1895 the design was highly praised for taking advantage of the natural
features of the site and for providing 'a constant variety, a continual change of
scene and an absence of any rigid geometrical lines' (ibid). The design remains (2001)
substantially intact (Plan, Button 1895; OS 1912).
REFERENCES
S Cryer, A Souvenir on the Opening of Scott Park (1895), pp 17, 22-4 Burnley Gazette,
7 August 1895; 8 October 1899 Burnley Express and Advertiser, 10 August 1895 [transcript
at Burnley Reference Library] Burnley Express, 29 May 1981; 14 September 1979; 4 August
1995 B Hall and K Spencer, Burnley: A Pictorial History (1993), pl 134 M Townend,
Images of England: Burnley (1999), p 123
Maps F S Button, Borough Surveyor, Scott Park, 1895 [sketch plan reproduced in Burnley
Gazette, 7 August 1895]
OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition published 1848 OS 25" to 1 mile: 1st edition surveyed
1891, published 1893 2nd edition published 1912 1931 edition
Illustrations F S Button, Bird's-eye view lithograph of Scott Park, 1895 (Townley
Hall Art Gallery and Museum, Burnley)
Archival items Postcards and photographs of Queen's Park, c 1900 (Burnley Reference
Library)
Description written: April 2001 Amended: May 2001 Register Inspector: HMT Edited:
April 2002
This garden or other land is registered under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 within the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by Historic England for its special historic interest.