From ‘the people’ to ‘the citizen’ : the emergence of the Edwardian municipal park in Manchester, 1902 - 1912

This paper argues that the Edwardian municipal park represents a significant transition from the highly regulated and formal space of the Victorian park. It takes as a case study Heaton Park in Manchester purchased in late 1901 and suggests that this park represented a transition from a Victorian people’s park to an Edwardian citizen’s park in which each visitor accessed facilities and amenities appropriate to their individual or group leisure interests. It addresses the comparative neglect of the Edwardian park by urban historians and suggests the importance of the emerging concepts of citizenship and social responsibility