Waterloo Park, Norwich

Waterloo Park
photograph of the entrance to Waterloo Park
The main pedestrian entrance on Angel Road
Map
TypePublic
LocationAngel Road, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Area18 acres (7.3 ha)
Created1904 (redesigned park opened in 1933)
DesignerCaptain Arnold Sandys-Winsch
Operated byNorwich City Council
Opendaylight hours
StatusGrade II* listed[1]
Parkingfree

Waterloo Park is a Grade II* listed public park in Norwich, Norfolk. It forms one of a set of public parks established in Norwich in the 1930s by Captain Arnold Sandys-Winsch that were built by unemployed men using government funding. The original open space, then known as the Catton Recreation Ground, was opened as Waterloo Park in May 1904. When the redesigned park was opened in 1933, it was considered to be the finest in East Anglia, with a pavilion in the style of Moderne architecture, a bandstand, sports facilities, gardens and a children's playground. The herbaceous border is one of the longest in the United Kingdom located within a public space.

The layout of Waterloo Park has remained largely unaltered since the 1930s, although changes have since been made to the original children's garden, the bowling greens and most of the grass tennis courts. Following years of relative neglect, the park's main buildings were restored in 2000, and the long-closed pavilion was reopened as a café in 2017; after being forced to close three years later, it reopened in November 2021. The park is maintained by Norwich City Council. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, the park was awarded Green Flag status; in 2023 it received for the first time a Green Heritage award.

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