PGW(Gt)60(MON)

Bailey Park  

II  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Monmouthshire  

Abergavenny  

330089  

214638  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Urban Public Park  

1884  

Registered as a good example of a late Victorian public park, surviving in its entirety, which makes an important contribution to the townscape of Abergavenny. Bailey Park was laid out for the town by the prominent local ironmaster, Crawshay Bailey in 1884 and was intended for public access from the outset. From 1890 the park passed out of the Crawshay Bailey Estate and into local authority ownership and management. The park has both ornamental and sporting components. The imposing main entrance, through wrought-iron gates (LB:80881) lies towards the south end of the east side, set back from the B4521 Hereford Road. The park is rectangular and lies on ground sloping gently to the south. The central part is largely open, taken up by sports pitches and a bowling green. Around the perimeter are trees (both deciduous and conifers), paths and small areas of garden. To the north a small area of the park extends westwards and is laid out as a formal garden, with island beds and a few specimen trees, enclosed by iron railings and hedges, and flanked along the south side by a wide tarmac path edged with stones. To the north of the garden is a small compartment with derelict glasshouses beyond which is a small, disused and derelict concrete-walled lido (1939) with changing rooms and café. The north side of the park is laid out with a belt of mainly evergreen planting along the boundary and two bowling greens. Setting: Bailey Park is the main public open space in Abergavenny. It is situated just to the north of the centre of Abergavenny on the west side of the Hereford Road. The surrounding roads are mostly residential. Sources Cadw 2007: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest, additional and revised entries part 1 (ref: PGW(Gt)60(MON).