Twelve New Projects In England Will Benefit From £34.5m Lottery Funding

They have often had to go through a rigorous application procedure to make it to the finishing line, but another twelve prominent historic parks and cemeteries throughout England will be making restoration plans based on the latest news from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Beckenham Place Park, Lewisham

A substantial £34.5 million has been made available as a result of a report that focused on the decline of public green spaces. These 12 projects include Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham, south-east London, which gets nearly £5m. Gunnersbury Park, Ealing and Cassiobury Park, Watford, each get more than £4m.

In Kent, Dover District Council will get more than £3m to restore Kearsney Abbey and Russell Gardens to boost tourism and community use. One park in Scotland - Levengrove in Dumbarton - is among those receiving funding.

All of this is as a result of a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) report last month which said the nation's public parks would be at serious risk of decline without new methods of providing finance and maintenance. The HLF said there would be restoration of historic features, such as bandstands and gatehouses, as well as provision of new entertainment such as skateboard parks and children's play areas. For example, the restoration being done in Dover will showcase the work of Edwardian landscape architect Thomas Mawson in Russell Gardens.

His canal pond, Palladian-style pergola bridges and boathouse pavilion form central architectural features of the park. At Kearsney Abbey opposite the gardens, the Festival of Britain open air theatre will be restored and the cafe extended.

Leader of Dover council, Paul Watkins, said he was delighted the lottery funds were supporting the park restoration. "These parks are highly valued by local people and its great to know that we can progress our plans to maintain, enhance and interpret this unique heritage," he said.

The twelve successful English sites and the one in Scotland are:
           
Beckenham Place Park, Lewisham - £4,908,400           
Gunnersbury Park, Ealing - £4,671,000
Cassiobury Park, Watford - £4,534,900
Kearsney Abbey and Russell Gardens, Dover - £3,389,400
Beddington Park and Grange, Sutton - £3,203,900
Levengrove Park, Dumbarton - £2,660,800
Hemel Water Gardens, Hemel Hempstead - £2,467,700
Pearson Park, Hull - £2,343,600
Avenue House, Finchley -£2,154,700
Moor Park, Preston - £1,725,000
Northwood Cemetery, Isle of Wight - £1,064,000
Victoria Park, Ilkeston - £740,800
Ampthill Park, Bedfordshire - £606,800