Alexandra Park, Parkstone, Poole

2006 marked the Centenary of Alexandra Park in Parkstone, and the start of a plan to improve the rather uninviting approaches to this much-loved and well-used community park.

All three entrances to Alexandra Park were drab and offered no sense of arrival or destination.

Old blockwork walls, hedges & railings were removed and replaced with traditional park railings, imposing entrance gates, stone and brick pillars and lighting.

At the set-back Palmerston Road entrance stone and brick walls have replaced hedging along the newly resurfaced footpath between neighbouring homes, and 'peacock' barriers installed in order to deter cyclists.

Work started on site in June and was completed in October 2009.

Total budget: £150,000
Funding: Planning Obligations (Penn Hill Ward)
Architects: DLM Design
Contractors: Greendale Construction
Lead Officer Richard Nicholson . 01202 261347 . Email Richard

Read about the play area improvements (2010)

Alexandra Park is a small (6 acre) but well-used public open space set within the densely urbanised area of Parkstone. It's bowling green and pavilion is the home of Alexandra Park Lawn Bowls Club, established in the 1920's.

So the park is essentially Edwardian in concept, but evolved over a period of some 30 years (1885 - 1915) as what was once open farmland was transformed into a new residential neighbourhood.

"Spero 2006" can today be seen engraved at the top of each stone pillar; Spero (meaning "hope") is the name given to the original plan selected for the park in 1885, as a result of an invitation to local architects for proposals laying out the "Upper Parkstone Estate".

However no real investment was made until sometime later and the title "Alexandra Park" dates from 28th June 1906. It is presumed that the park is named after Queen Alexandra, consort of the reigning Edward VII.

The original railings and entrance gates are presumed to have been removed during the Second World War, along with those of other sites in Poole such as Poole Park.

More on the history of the park from Wikipedia

Click on images to enlarge them:

The new Palmerston Road approach

The Palmerston Road approach prior to this project

Alexandra Road (west) entrance

Alexandra Road (east) entrance

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Alexandra Park