Lincoln's Green Spaces

Lincoln’s green spaces form the focus of this collection of chapters which explore the varied histories of these important areas of the city that today play such an invaluable part in enhancing the physical and mental health of both residents and visitors. 

Chapters examine Lincoln’s common lands, specifically the Cow Paddle, the South Common and the West Common. Th ese have played vital roles in the past in sustaining household economies by providing grazing rights. As chapters on the commons reveal, they have also been important sites of hospitals, defence installations, leisure provision and have also been venues for mass gatherings, such as agricultural shows and political meetings. 

Parks have formed more recent additions to the city’s green spaces. Chapters explore many of the city’s most prominent parks and their diverse histories, including the Arboretum, Birchwood Nature Park, Boultham Park, Hartsholme Park, Temple Gardens, and Whitton’s Park. 

Attention is also paid to a number of more private green spaces, including Eastcliff House’s grotto and an ambitious, if uncompleted, residential scheme, Swanpool Garden Suburb. 

The volume comprises 24 chapters (14 of which were newly commissioned), produced by 14 different contributors. Ten chapters are on topics which have appeared in previous Survey of Lincoln neighbourhood books: many of these have been updated. 

Contents

Introduction - ANDREW WALKER 

Temple Gardens - ANDREW WALKER  

Planning Lincoln’s Arboretum - STEVE BIRD 

The Earlier History of the Site of the Arboretum - CHRIS JOHNSON 

The Arboretum: A Site of Civic Pride - ANDREW WALKER 

The Arboretum: 1939 to the Present -  STEVE BIRD  

The Ellisons of Boultham Hall - ROB WHEELER  

Boultham Park as a Public Space - ANDREW WALKER  

Memories of Boultham Park in the Mid-Twentieth Century - MARK ROBINSON 

The Grounds of Lincoln Lunatic Asylum - HAZEL KENT 

The Grotto at Eastcliff House - KEN HOLLAMBY 

Swanpool Garden Suburb - LESLEY CLARKE 

Whitton’s Park -GEOFF TANN 

The West Common: An Introduction - ANDREW WALKER 

The Smallpox Hospital on the West Common - LESLEY CHURCH  

Aviation and the West Common - CHARLES PARKER 

Alderman’s Walk: A Site of Protest? -  ANDREW WALKER 

Buildings for Animals in Lincoln’s West End -  SHIRLEY BROOK  

The Cow Paddle - DEREK BROUGHTON 

The Historical Landscape of South Common - SAMANTHA TIPPER AND ANDREW WALKER 

The South Common, c.1800 to the Present - ANDREW WALKER  

Hartsholme Park and Lincoln’s Water Supply - ROB WHEELER 

Hartsholme Country Park - HAZEL KENT  

Birchwood Nature Park - ANDREW WALKER 

Map - DAVE WATT 

Further Reading 

142 pages., more than 75 images.

ISBN 978-1-9192541-1-1      RRP - £9.95. 

Book stockists: 

Lindum Books, 4 Bailgate, Lincoln, LN1 3AE;

Steep Hill Bookshop, 2-3 Steep Hill, Lincoln, LN2 1LS.

and, of course, it is available direct from The Survey of Lincoln (collection or by post; postage extra)

The Local Landscapes & Hidden Histories project (funded by the National Lottery and City of Lincoln Council) financially supported the publication and its launch.