Fascinating History of the Park

In a shameless plug for the latest item of ‘must have’ HPF merchandise, we are pleased to announce the availability of a book documenting the fascinating backstory of Hedgemead Park.

Published by the Friends of Hedgemead Park, the book was written by our very own local historian, Nigel Pollard, after much painstaking original research.

The history of Hedgemead Park, which was opened in 1889 as ‘The Hedgemead Pleasure Gardens’, is one of Bath’s most intriguing stories.

Originally an area of dense artisan housing, following a series of landslips in the mid to late 19th century, the then Bath Corporation was compelled to pull down the housing as unsafe. But what was to be put in its place?

This fully illustrated book, researched from the original Council records and local newspaper reports, puts together the story of the people who championed the idea of the area as an ‘open space’, designing, creating, and later extending it to become the park we know and appreciate today.

To purchase a copy, please contact Bath’s foremost independent bookshop, Mr B’s Emporium at 13-15 John Street, Bath BA1 2JL. Click here for more details.