Chalkwell Park

51°32′41.95″N 0°40′27.24″E

Chalkwell Park
Chalkwell Park is located in Essex
Chalkwell Park
Location in Essex
LocationChalkwell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England
Area297 hectares (730 acres)

Chalkwell Park is a recreational park in Chalkwell, Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, England. It covers 27 hectares (67 acres) and contains several flower gardens, two children's playgrounds, a skateboard/BMX park and football, cricket, basketball and tennis fields.[1]

The arts and music festival Village Green was held on the grounds of Chalkwell Park annually in the summer. The festival often received more than 25,000 visitors each year, but has not been run since 2019 due to the covid pandemic.[2] The park is also home to NetPark, which claims to be the world’s first digital art park.[3] The park is home to the annual fair that accompanies the Southend Carnival.[4]

History

Chalkwell as a suburb started in the early 20th century as a housing development on the former farmland of the Chalkwell Hall estate. The name is believed to be derived from chalk pits dug by farmers to neutralise acid soil.[5] The current hall stands on the site of previous halls and was built in 1830.[6] The park was formed from the land surrounding the hall. In 1903, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council purchased the land for £20,000 and opened a park.[6][7][8]

A small garden of remembrance commemorating those who lost their lives during the Second World War was opened in the park on 30 April 1952.[9]

In the 1950s or earlier, a small petting zoo was established in Chalkwell Hall containing at various points in time peacocks, monkeys and in the 1970s, a Himalayan black bear named Lulu. The last inhabitants were four peacocks in an enclosure which were eventually relocated to a private estate where there was more space.[10][11] The hall also serves as a modern art house run by the charity, Metal.[12]

Chalkwell Hall was designated as a Grade II listed building in 1974.[13]

Cricket ground
Chalkwell Park cricket ground in 2016

The cricket ground was first used by the Essex County Cricket Club, 1st XI in 1934 for County Championship matches and in 1970 for List A matches. The ground has not been used by the club 1st XI since 1976.[14]

The ground has hosted 69 first-class matches and eight List A matches:[15]

Game information
Game Type No. of Games
County Championship Matches 65
limited-over county matches 8
Twenty20 matches 0

Game statistics – first-class
Category Information
Highest team score There have been no team scores exceeding 500 scored at this ground
Lowest team score Somerset (48 against Essex) in 1961
Best batting performance Tom Pearce (211 Runs for Essex against Leicestershire) in 1948
Best bowling performance Derek Underwood (9/37 for Kent against Essex) in 1966

Game statistics – one-day matches
Category Information
Highest team score Essex (232/5 in 40 overs against Leicestershire) in 1976
Lowest team score Middlesex (41 in 19.4 overs against Essex) in 1972
Best batting performance Bob Cooke (83 Runs for Essex against Northamptonshire) in 1974
Best bowling performance Allan Jones (6/34 for Somerset against Essex) in 1971

Club cricket

Chalkwell Park is home to Westcliff-on-Sea Cricket Club and Leigh-on-Sea Cricket Club. Westcliff-on-Sea have played there since 1907 and moved a pavilion to the ground in 1910.[16] Leigh-on-Sea started out as Chalkwell Park Cricket Club and played their first match here in 1907 against South Benfleet. They built their first pavilion for the 1922 season and a later replacement that forms the core of their current building opened at the start of the 1954 season.[17]

References
  1. Neal-Goddard, Sorrell. "Chalkwell Park". www.southend.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  2. "Village Green Festival". Skiddle.com. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  3. "An arty weekend in … Southend-on-Sea, Essex". The Guardian. 22 March 2023.
  4. "Join in the fun urges Southend carnival organiser Garry". Maldon & Burnham Standard. 11 August 2014.
  5. Matthew Fautley, James Garon (2004). Essex Coastline Then and Now. Matthew Fautley. p. 214. ISBN 9780954801007.
  6. Pevsner. N (2007). Essex: The Buildings of England. Yale University Press. p. 716. ISBN 9780300116144.
  7. "Southend On Sea, Chalkwell Park c.1960 - Francis Frith". www.francisfrith.com. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  8. "SOUTHEND PARKS (NORTH)". domesday. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  9. "Borough of Southend Garden of Remembrance - WW2". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  10. "Peacock petition to free the 'Chalkwell four'". Echo. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  11. "Animal attractions are remembered in south Essex". Echo. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  12. "Southend Timeline". Southend Timeline. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  13. "CHALKWELL HALL, Non Civil Parish - 1112707 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  14. "Chalkwell Park | England | Cricket Grounds | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  15. "The Home of CricketArchive". 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 21 August 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. "Chalkwell Park - Westcliff Cricket Club". Westcliff-on-Sea Cricket Club. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  17. Hands, Arthur. "Club History". Leigh-on-Sea Cricket Club. Retrieved 17 May 2022.


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