Sitting in the West End of Leicester, Western Park is both the city’s largest park and the name of the surrounding suburb. Bought by the council in 1897 for £30,000, the park covers 178 acres (0.72 km²) and draws visitors from across the city. The ward of Western Park recorded a population of 10,609 at the 2011 census, making it a well-established residential area with a generally affluent character to the south and east of the parkland itself.
What the Park Contains
The parkland mixes open meadows, mature woodland, and hedgerows with an unusually wide range of sporting facilities. These include a BMX track, a skate ramp, two bowling greens, five football pitches, six cricket pitches with changing facilities, and six tennis courts that are now open to the public. The tennis courts have an interesting local history: until the 1950s they were used by Westcotes Church Tennis Club and then Westfields Lawn Tennis Club, before the club relocated to a site on nearby Eastfield Road. Since 2008, the full-sized baseball field at the southwest end of the park has been home to the Leicester Blue Sox Baseball Club, who have won the British Baseball Federation national championship in 2009 and 2012. The club welcomes players of all ages and abilities across its adult and youth teams.
The Eco House and Community Groups
Until May 2013, the former park warden’s lodge operated as the “Eco House”, a show home run by the environmental charity Groundworks Leicester and Leicestershire (previously known as Environ) to demonstrate ways of making homes more environmentally friendly. The building held public events and school visits, and sat alongside a neighbouring recycling centre as part of the wider Groundwork UK network. A voluntary group, The Friends of Western Park, continues to work alongside the city council to improve the park for residents and visitors.
The Surrounding Suburb
The residential area sharing the park’s name contains several local institutions. Dovelands Primary School caters for around 550 children aged three to eleven, including nursery-age pupils. St. Anne’s Parish Church serves the local community, and Christ the King Roman Catholic Primary School, rated outstanding by Ofsted, operates across two sites – an infant site at the top of Western Park and a junior site further along Glenfield Road. Westfields Lawn Tennis Club, now based on Eastfield Road, has four floodlit courts and welcomes children and adults from the local area.