Type Public | Location Reading, Berkshire, UK | |
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Palmer Park is a public park in Reading, England. The initial 21 acres land for the park was given to the town in 1889 by George Palmer, extended to 49 acres in 1891, proprietors of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit firm, and contains a statue of George Palmer.
The full park was opened on 4 November 1891. The park and pavilion were designed by architect William Ravencroft.
Popular with all of the local residents for various activities, it often hosts religious festivals, sports tournaments and small special events. In the past, Carter's Steam Fair visited the park every year. However, they stopped the annual occasion due to the discovery of ground subsidence in the park. Chalk mines were found underneath the park and the weight of the fairground rides posed great danger. Up until recently, areas around the park were fenced off to stop people from falling into suspected areas of subsidence, but these have been shored up and compacted to stop any incident from occurring and the Fair is visiting again.
Park facilities
The park also contains Palmer Park Stadium, a velodrome and athletics stadium. Included in the park is Palmer Park Library, Palmer Park Bowling Club, two playgrounds, a community cafe and a number of football pitches which are used every week for local matches. During the summer months, some of the goal posts are removed to make way for a cricket pitch.