Mowbray Park

Mowbray Park occupies 7 hectare. It is divided by the railway cutting it into two halves; Mowbray Extension Park to the north and Mowbray Park to the south. The original site, at first known as People's Park, was acquired by the Borough in 1854/5 as part of the development of the railway. The gardener to Lord Londonderry, Mr Lawson, and Joseph Smith who had worked at Chatsworth were responsible for laying out the park, which opened in 1857 and was later renamed Mowbray Park. In 1866, an extension north of the railway opened, known as Mowbray Extension Park. The two halves of the Park are linked by a cast and wrought iron footbridge erected over the railway cutting in 1866. The Extension Park was overlooked by a vast Winter Garden built in 1879 on the site of the present library, but it was damaged by bombing in 1941 and demolished in 1942. In addition to its gardens and walks, features of the park include a cast iron drinking fountain (dated 1878), a bowling green with pavilion and a tennis court, and a portion of medieval arch from Bishopwearmouth Rectory. Statues include those of John Candlish (1815-74), MP for Sunderland; General Henry Havelock (1775-1857) by Behnes, 1861; and Jack Crawford (1775-1831), by Percy Wood, 1890. REGISTERED HISTORIC PARK.