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CRIMEAN CANNONS - WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Mowbray Park
Building Hill
9 Toward Rd
Sunderland
Tyne and Weir
Great Britain
SR1 2QF


The Havelock statue and two Crimean Cannons are to be found in Mowbray Park, Sunderland. The statue is one of two in the UK which commemorate Major General Sir Henry Havelock, who was born in Sunderland in 1795. The other statue is in Trafalgar Square, in the heart of London.

Mowbray Park is one of the oldest municipal parks in North East England. This land was an old limestone quarry, known as Building Hill. Work on the original park began in 1854. Originally known as The Peoples Park, it was opened in 1857 in response to a demand for more open spaces in the town following a public health enquiry into the cholera epidemic of the 1840s. The land was purchased from the Mowbray family, and named after them in recognition. The park was extended in 1866 to include a lake and a terrace, and in 1879 the Winter Gardens, museum and art gallery were added along the Borough Road side.

The park was damaged by bombing During World War II, and iron structures, such as railings and the bandstand, were removed to make weapons. Park staff also altered the layout in order to grow vegetables. After the war the park suffered from vandalism and neglect. However, a Heritage Lottery grant enabled the park to be restored to its former Victorian glory during the 1990s; the ornamental lake was restored. The Winter Gardens were rebuilt as the original Winter Gardens were destroyed in 1941 when a German parachute mine landed nearby shattering the glass. When the park re-opened in 2000 it was recognised by English Heritage as a park of special historic interest

Beside Havelock's statue at Mowbray Park, Building Hill are two cannon which are replicas of Russian cannon captured during the Crimean War. The originals, named Caleb and Joshua, were scrapped during the Second World War. The replacement cannon were designed and manufactured by Smith & Co of South Shields and reinstated on Building Hill in 1999 as part of the refurbishment of the park.




ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Click to discover this grotto









FACILITIES

Access all Year, Access by Road, Disabled Access, Grotto - just one, Grotto with extensive rock gardens, Restaurant/Food, Retail Souvenir Shop, Toilets, Tourism Information

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