page_title: Norwich
section_title: Parks, gardens and open spaces
hierarchical_section_title: Norwich / Architecture / Parks, gardens and open spaces
caption_attribution_description: English: Riverside Flats Norwich. In the distance is Norwich Cathedral
context_page_description: Norwich is a city in Norfolk, England, situated on the River Wensum in East Anglia, about 100 miles north-east of London. A city since 1094, Norwich is the county town of Norfolk and unofficially seen as East Anglia's capital. From the late Middle Ages until the Industrial Revolution, Norwich was the largest city in England after London and one of the most important. The present-day population of the city is about 142,000.
context_section_description: Chapelfield Gardens in central Norwich became the city's first public park in November 1880. From the start of the 20th century, Norwich Corporation, now Norwich City Council, began buying and leasing land to develop parks when funds became available. Sewell Park and James Stuart Gardens are examples of land donated by benefactors.
  After World War I the corporation took advantage of government grants and made the decision to construct a series of formal parks as a means to alleviate unemployment. Under the guidance of Parks Superintendent Captain Sandys-Winsch four parks were completed; Heigham Park (1924), Wensum Park (1925), Eaton Park (1928), Waterloo Park (1933). These parks retain many features from Sandys-Winsch's original plans and have been placed on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.
  As of 2015, the city has 23 parks, 95 open spaces and 59 natural areas managed by the local authority. In addition, there are several privately owned gardens which are occasionally opened to the public in aid of charity with the exception of the Plantation Garden located close to the St John the Baptist Cathedral which opens daily.
caption: Riverside flats Norwich
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