Peel Park, Bradford

A public meeting took place in St George's Hall, Bradford on 13 August 1850 to discuss the creation of a park as a memorial to Sir Robert Peel who had died that year. Together with a government donation of £1,500, funding was raised from Sir Robert Milligan, Sir Titus Salt, Forbes and Company and by numerous other private subscriptions to purchase 26 ha of land that was subsequently named Peel Park Estate, and some 22.6 ha of this land was developed as Peel Park. The park was opened in 1853 In 1902 an ornamental bandstand was erected midway along The Terrace but today this location is occupied by the statue of Sir Robert Peel. Another lost feature is the two cannons captured by the British…

The main linear path through the park is The Terrace extending east west on which can be found a number of statues. One such is a statue of Sir Robert Peel made in 1855 and dressed in a mid 19th century frock coat and mounted on a cylindrical ashlar sandstone plinth. The Peel statue was the first public statue erected in Bradford and was originally located in what was Peel Place on Leeds Road, but re-erected post 1926 in Peel Park after Kassapian's Warehouse on Leeds Road was demolished. All three statues are grade II listed. At the western end of The Terrace is the Viewing Platform (1853–93) giving views over the Bradford valley and Manningham. The platform was largely rebuilt in 1990 due…

Peel Park is open at any time all year round and can be accessed from the main Cliffe Road and Bolton Road entrances and also from Park Cliffe Road, Harrogate Street, and Lister Lane. Although there are some steep paths and steps in the park, the pathways and carriageways will give wheelchair access to most of the park. Authorised vehicles can use the free-to-use car park accessible from the southern entrance gate.