Colonel Carr-Ellison’s grandfather and father had suggested that the densely populated industrial town of Hebburn on the south bank of the River Tyne would benefit from a public open space: Carr-Ellison’s gift of a public park was intended both to fulfil their wishes and to mark the safe return of his son from the First World War. The Ellison family had acquired the Manor of Hebburn in 1648. From 1897 residents had permission to use the pleasure gardens and it was the 25 acres surrounding Hebburn Hall that Carr-Ellison donated to the town in 1920.
The park was named Hebburn Park and is located to the south of Hebburn Hall and is the location of the original gardens for the Hall. The grounds of Hebburn Hall were further developed in the early 20th Century and substantial development had been undertaken within the grounds that included a bandstand, tennis court, bowling greens, aviary, greenhouses and the Boer War Memorial. By 1942 the grounds had only undergone minor changes, including a name change to Carr-Ellison Park and the insertion of a War Memorial south of the Hall. A putting green was included in the late 1950s.
Hebburn Hall Ponds, known locally as ‘The Lakes’, were four man-made ponds established through the damming of the Bede’s Burn in about the 1870s to the south east of the park. They were formed by the flooding of the land and their primary role was to provide fresh water to nearby industries. Hebburn Hall Ponds were a dominant visual and social feature of the area, used for walking, socialising and swimming, and they had a boat house on the north bank of the northernmost pond. The boat house was ruined by the mid-20th Century and the ponds were drained by 1968.
The park has a Boer War, First and Second World War memorials. The Carr-Ellison Park First World War Memorial, which stands in Carr-Ellison Park, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
In 1998 Carr-Ellison Park was given a “facelift” as a result of a quarter of million pounds grant from the National Heritage Lottery Fund.
Clegwell & Hartleyburn Community Hub (CIO) provide support and oversee the area by providing a sub-committee called the Hebburn Carr-Ellison Park Committee, which have supported events over many years, one of the main events known to all is the “Hebburn Carr-Ellison Carnival” event held over the summer of each year, the Carr-Ellison Park Committee, through Clegwell & Hartleyburn Community Hub have accessed funding from the Football Foundation for a period of several years to improve the standards of the main field in the park, which will help with drainage and to also allow the field to reach good to outstanding conditions, which in return will allow various sports to safely take place through Clegwell & Hartleyburn Community Hub.
Friends of Hebburn Carr Ellison Park
Facilities on offer
Contact Details
Canning Street, Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, NE31 2UE.
