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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 December 2012

CAROLE O'REILLY
CAROLE O'REILLY*
Affiliation:
School of Media, Music and Performance, University of Salford, Adelphi Building, Peru Street, Salford M3 6EQ, UK
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Abstract:

This article 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.

Type
Eastern European Cities
Information
Urban History , Volume 40 , Issue 1 , February 2013 , pp. 136 - 155
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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