Play, Sport and Leisure

Central Park is surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and it has always provided a vital space for their play, sport and leisure, and many people recall how they played here as children.  

After a low point around the turn of the century, park usage has grown steadily.  Regular visitors include young families, dog walkers and exercise groups whilst others come when they need to re-connect with nature or take part in active recreation.  Its value for health and wellbeing was very apparent during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic when large numbers of people came for informal exercise while other activities were restricted to prevent the disease from spreading.  

Events have been held in the park since its earliest origins.  A travelling circus and fair come annually whilst some big events like cycling races and other spectaculars have been held from time to time.  The Bath and West Show was held on ‘Exhibition Fields’ – the areas around the present-day golf course – on six occasions between 1853 and 1958.  

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  1853 – 1958 Agricultural shows
  Agricultural shows have taken place in the Exhibition Field above Pennycomequick, now part of Central Park, on eight occasions.  The first was the Bath and West… Read more: 1853 – 1958 Agricultural shows
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  1932 – the present, Bowling
  The opening programme in 1931 stated that two greens were being provided of special construction with sea-washed turf obtained from Lancashire. They were completed in 1932… Read more: 1932 – the present, Bowling
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  1933 – 1939 Motor cycle races
  Motor cycle races were held in the Home Park stadium before 1930 when its oval banked track was replaced by terraces on a more rectangular plan. … Read more: 1933 – 1939 Motor cycle races
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  1944 – 1959 Cycle races
  Even before the Second World War had ended, the Western Morning News reported in August 1944 that the first massed-start scratch cycle race to be held… Read more: 1944 – 1959 Cycle races
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  1949 Pedal car outings
  Tony Hooper’s father, Harry Hooper, had been an apprentice boatbuilder at Mashford Bros, Cremyll and, as well as making model boats, he made pedal cars for… Read more: 1949 Pedal car outings
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  1955 – the present, Working in the Park
  People’s enjoyment of the park depends on those working in it to keep it tidy and well-maintained, although much has changed since this picture of a… Read more: 1955 – the present, Working in the Park
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  1962 – 1978 Visiting the Zoo
  Opened in 1962, Plymouth Zoo was hugely popular, attracting 50,000 visitors a year during its heyday. It incorporated a quarantine facility where imported animals were kept… Read more: 1962 – 1978 Visiting the Zoo
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  1964 – 1981 Big Tents
  Before Plymouth’s new civic theatre, the Theatre Royal, opened in 1982, theatrical productions were staged in a very large tent, otherwise known as a Cinerama or… Read more: 1964 – 1981 Big Tents
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  1966 A fox hunt
  Remarkably, a fox hunt took place in Central Park on 21st January 1966.  The zoo had been losing its ornamental fowl and penguins to fox raids… Read more: 1966 A fox hunt
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  1966 – 1970 Kart racing
  In the late 1960s, there were attempts to establish kart racing as a regular activity in Central Park.  References are few but a letter to the… Read more: 1966 – 1970 Kart racing
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  1966 Regulations
  A small book of “Regulations as to Bowling and Putting Greens, Miniature Golf Course and Tennis Courts” was issued by the Town Clerk in 1966, Measuring… Read more: 1966 Regulations
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  1967 Observations of children at play
  As part of her teacher training, Sandra Bowden (nee Fray) observed how children used the facilities in Milehouse playground and this is an extract from her… Read more: 1967 Observations of children at play
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  1967 – 1971 Cricket matches
  After distinguished war service, various escapades in South America and farming in Devon, Ross Salmon joined the BBC as a presenter in the 1960s and later… Read more: 1967 – 1971 Cricket matches
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  1969 Wild swimming
  Nearly five inches of rain fell on Central Park on Monday, 28th July 1969, and the floodwaters provided a brief opportunity for wild swimming, as these… Read more: 1969 Wild swimming
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  1994 Heineken music festival
  Between 1990 and 1995, Heineken sponsored free-admission music festivals in city parks across the country.  They were staged over four days and held in and around… Read more: 1994 Heineken music festival
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  1997 – 1999 Midsummer Slams
  Two Plymouth University students, Steve Toze and Nigel Muntz, were keen mountain bikers and Steve started a magazine for the sport called “Shred or Dead” in… Read more: 1997 – 1999 Midsummer Slams
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  2013 Skyride cycling event
  In an echo of the cycle races held in the park between 1944 and 1959, Central Park provided the stage for a cycling festival on Sunday,… Read more: 2013 Skyride cycling event
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  2021 – the present, Central Parkrun
  Parkruns are held every Saturday morning in about 1,200 locations in the UK and abroad.  Each one is a community event organised by volunteers and people… Read more: 2021 – the present, Central Parkrun
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  2023 Dinosaurs in the Park
  Dinosaurs in the Park was a walk-through show of 39 life-sized, animatronic dinosaur replicas.  It took place between 19th May and 11th June 2023 in Cottage… Read more: 2023 Dinosaurs in the Park