Bellevue Park, Wrexham

Bellevue Park, Wrexham

This park was created in 1910 on land where sand and gravel were previously excavated. Initially it was known as the “Parciau” – Welsh for “parks” – and there were spaces for various activities including a flat bowling green and another for “crown green” bowls (with a slight rise in the centre).

wrexham_bellevue_parkThe park superintendent’s Lodge was funded by public subscription, as were the original railings and gates. In 1912 the National Eisteddfod was held here. It made national headlines after the Chancellor, David Lloyd George, was heckled by suffragettes as he made a speech.

Trees planted in the early years are now mature, including the lime avenues radiating from the grassy amphitheatre around the 1914 bandstand. During the First World War, a Royal Welsh Fusiliers band performed weekly concerts at the bandstand. Everyone entering the park was expected to pay a penny towards their expenses, whether they wanted to listen or not!

After the war Wrexham was given a redundant tank, a Landship MkI, in recognition of its contribution to the war effort. The tank was displayed in Bellevue Park until 1928, when its place was taken by a statue of Queen Victoria, previously in Guildhall Square.

In 1919 Major Kearsley of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers proposed erecting a RWF memorial in the Parciau or in High Street. Almost a century later, in October 2017 a memorial was erected in the park to commemorate all from the borough who served and died in the First World War. The Friends of Bellevue Park commissioned the slate memorial and raised funds for it. It stands where there was previously a Gorsedd stone circle, for Eisteddfod ceremonies.

The park railings were removed to provide iron for the war effort from 1940 to 1942. Swathes of the park were dug up for schoolchildren and adults to grow potatoes, tomatoes and other food in response to the “Dig for Victory” message.

Bellevue Park was refurbished in 1999 with funding from the National Lottery, Welsh Development Agency, European Union and others. Today it’s managed by Wrexham County Borough Council.

Postcode: LL13 7LY     View Location Map

Bellevue Park website – Wrexham CBC