They were constructed in the 1860s amid the Cotton Famine as public works employing unemployed mill workers.
They were designed by landscape architect Edward Milner as a “harmonious whole,” the parks feature a riverside walk, formal terraces, fountains, rockeries, and the striking Belvedere.
Avenham Park’s elegant Japanese Rock Gardens were added in the 1930s. Inaugurated in 1867 alongside the new Town Hall, the parks drew thousands, including the Duke of Cambridge. Today, both parks are Grade II listed and cherished historic green spaces at Preston’s heart .
33 marvellous old pictures of Preston and the surrounding areas which tell us a story of the city's past
4. Park memories
Afternoon tea or was this a bigger event? Too long ago for any of us to know for sure | Preston Council