Throughout Greater Manchester there are some incredible parks, but not all of them can claim the title of being a gift from royalty. As the name suggests, Queen’s Park in Heywood has a rather interesting royal connection - and nearly never came into being at all.
Opened in 1879, the park was presented to the people of Heywood by Queen Victoria, although at one point it was never meant to be a park. Funding for the park came from local landowner Charles Martin Newhouse, who died in 1873 in a derailed train carriage accident.
As he died without a will, his estate was passed to the Duchy of Lancaster and Heywood Local Board were asked if they wanted to accept the land as a gift from the Queen. The funds were nearly used for a school, but eventually it was decided a park would be created instead.
