Photographs Of Newcastle: Wallsend - Richardson Dees Park

The land was part of the Wallsend Hall estate and, following the closure of the 'C' pit, was eventually donated in 1897 to Wallsend Corporation for use as a public park by the then owner of Wallsend Hall, Mr. Robert Richardson Dees.

The new park was designed to provide an area of open space for relaxation, socialising and the recreation and exercise of local people. The park, originally called Wallsend Park, was officially opened on 4th June 1900.

At the time Wallsend was an area of major industry and the air was thick with pollution. The park therefore, provided a welcome green, open space for the community to try and escape the dirt and noise of the town. The park was later renamed Richardson Dees Park in recognition of Mr. Robert Richardson Dees' donation of the land and his important place in Wallsend's local history.

Robert Richardson Dees was born in Newcastle in 1814, the eldest child of a family of ten. After training as a solicitor he was articled at various practices in London before returning to the North East to establish his own practice. He was President of the Law Society (Newcastle), a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a member of the Literary and Philosophical Society. In 1855, Richardson Dees bought the Wallsend Hall estate and in 1856 he took up residence at the Hall. He was responsible for undertaking alterations to the Hall, and for the laying out of much of the Hall grounds and formal woodland walks.

Robert Richardson Dees took a keen interest in the welfare of the town and its residents and in 1897, he presented fourteen acres of land (the site of the former Wallsend C Pit) to be used as a public park. On his death in 1908, the Hall and its grounds were bequeathed to his nephew, the then mayor of Wallsend, Mr. Robert Irwin Dees.

Description courtesy of North Tyneside Council.