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Friends of EATON PARK
Norwich

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Home	History of Eaton Park The years following the first world war were a time of unemployment and hardship. In 1920 the minutes of Norwich Corporation (now City Council) show the concern that high unemployment was having and it sent a resolution to the Government to the effect that all unemployed persons should be paid at a rate that would sustain them in 'health and efficiency' until they found work. Taking advantage of government grants, the Corporation took the bold decision to construct several formal parks as a means of unemployment relief. The key figure in the construction of Norwich parks was Captain A Sandys-Winch who, on demobilisation, was appointed to Norwich Corporation. At the time Norwich had very few open spaces (Chapelfield Gardens was one of them) but when he retired Norwich had about 600 acres of parks and open spaces. He also created model allotments and organised the planting of some 20,000 trees in the parks and streets. Reflecting his army career, Captain Sandys-Winch seems to have had a rather military approach to the task of creating parks in Norwich but there is no doubt that, in the 33 years as Parks Superintendent, he changed radically the appearance of Norwich and created green spaces on a huge scale for the future enjoyment of everyone. We should remember him for this. Despite the availability of land at that time it was recognised that an area for recreational purposes was needed. £900 was raised for the piece of land which was enclosed and which we now recognise as Eaton Park. From 1924, Blue Bell Road, then a lane linking Eaton and Earlham, was widened and houses were built north of the park area. For three and a half years over a hundred men were employed to build the bandstand, pavilions, and model boat and lily ponds. Tennis courts (there were over 40), cricket squares, bowling greens, other sports' and leisure areas and gardens were created. In 1928 the Park was officially opened by the then Prince of Wales. The right-hand photo above is of the Prince of Wales addressing the crowds in 1928 when he came to open the park. Here are two photos of the Prince being shown through the Park. Captain Sandys-Winch is the tall upright man (second from left in the left-hand photo) and the Lord Mayor is wearing a top hat. The right-hand photo is a good study of dress denoting class: the two on the left were probably employed as labourers and the next man is likely to be clerk of works or something similar. The ornamental pond was built in the formal garden and included a fountain. Here is a photo of the pond at the time of the Prince of Wales's visit and an old postcard of the 1930s or 1940s. In 1998 Eaton Park was one of three parks which benefited from an extensive refurbishment programme funded by a Heritage Lottery grant of £4.2m. Although Norwich City Council invests money in the parks, it could not have afforded the work required to restore the buildings. Plenty of seating was provided for park visitors and the garden is now wheelchair-accessible. Today, Eaton Park is one of 23 parks in Norwich which include Heigham, Waterloo and Wensum Parks. They are managed by the Green Spaces team. You can read more on the City Council website, - search 'historic parks'. About the photographs: they are the property of Norwich City Council which has given permission to use them. The aerial view of the park at the top of the page looks west towards the River Yare and the parkland and University of East Anglia, the original buildings of which were constructed in the 1960s. On either side of the park, there are either fields or allotments. Beween the line of trees (where the photo starts to narrow) and the hedge at the end of the park is now the pitch and putt course. Here are two photos of Eaton Park taken in 1975: For more photographs of Norwich before and after the 1930s, see George Plunkett's collection. Text sources include: The Captain and the Norwich Parks by AP Anderson, The Norwich Society, 2000, price £8. You can find out more about The Norwich Society here. top Home About us Sports and facilities Events Railway Community centre Useful links Getting there Last updated: 17 July 2008
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