Impact help restore Broadfield Park back to its Victorian splendour

Date published: 13 August 2007

The Broadfield Park restoration project was principally funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund with a £2m grant, and after 18 months of restoration work the park was officially re-opened on Sunday 22 July.

The work was designed and project managed by Impact’s Property Services, lead by Landscape Architect John McIvor, working on behalf of Rochdale Council’s Environmental Management Service.

Mr McIvor commented: "One of the main objectives of Impact is to regenerate the borough of Rochdale. To have such a successful park regeneration project right in the centre of Rochdale is a significant achievement for Impact.

"The area has had limited investment over recent years and the restoration project aimed to bring the park back to its former glory in keeping with its original Victorian splendour. The innovative methods of using appropriate materials to sympathetically recreate Victorian park fittings created an original environment and maximised grant spend."

The bandstand is an example of this, with historical research revealing plans and photo’s of the actual cast iron Victorian bandstand and the replica being re-made from a combination of modern cast iron and recycled aluminum cans.

Keeping true to the park’s Victorian heritage has led to the restoration of the many historic features of the park including, the rebuild of a replica Victorian bandstand, reinstatement of the Packer Spout water fountain, and the restoration of the Victoria Bridge and Dialect Poets’ Memorial.

Landscaping in key areas of the park has also been improved by an authentic and diverse Victorian planting scheme.

A controversial aspect of the park’s restoration involved tree felling works, which saw a number of old, diseased and unsafe trees removed to reduce congestion. This now allows healthy trees to thrive and encourages other plants to grow closer to the ground. Again, this was in keeping with park’s heritage as Victorian images of the park shows that there were fewer trees and shrubs.

This work was also vital to make the park’s landscape more open and safer, encouraging citizens to use the park’s amenities.

Prior to the restoration work the park was neglected and unsafe, with dark tree-lined pathways and it had become spoilt by anti-social behaviour. The work has restored both the hard and soft landscaping and recreated the original plans of the park.

The Council together with Impact have ambitious plans for the future with further restoration planned for the children’s play area and the bowling pavilions.

Leader of the Council, Alan Taylor said: "The Council and its partners have worked hard to create a fantastic public space that can be used by everyone. More and more people are now using the park and it is something that the town – and the borough, should really be proud of."