Victoria Park has been at the heart of Portsmouth for over 140 years and has a rich and colourful history. Created in 1878 for the people of Portsmouth, the park has been a green sanctuary amid city life for generations.
You can find out all about Victoria Park’s history, natural environment and importance to the local community on the park’s website at www.victoriaparkportsmouth.org.uk. You can also read about plans to revive the park with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund
The landscape and layout was designed by Alexander McKenzie who also created Finsbury Park, the Victoria, Albert Embankment and Alexandra Palace Park. The original design for the site is an excellent example of a late-19th-century formal garden.
The fountain at the heart of the park is part of original landscape. Victoria Park is also home to nine naval memorials commemorating ships, people and international events linked to Portsmouth’s history. We are working with local historians and community groups to uncover the histories associated with these memorials.
Park visitors have been able to enjoy an aviary, housing rare birds and animals, since shortly after the park’s opening in 1878. The aviary’s location has changed a number of times and the aviary enjoyed by today’s visitors was built after the great storm in 1987.
Some of Victoria Park’s trees are over 300 years old, dating from when the area outside the fortifications of the old town was farmland. The formal tree-lined walkways were a feature of park design in the late 19th century.
The park hosts plenty of wildlife such as small rodents, squirrels and other urban wildlife. There is a wide variety of native and visiting birds including jays, robins and finches who make their home in the trees and bushes. Our habitat survey established that we have back-headed gulls and herring gulls present in the park, both of which are classified by the RSPB as at risk.
Bug-life is rich in the park and we want to encourage endangered species like bees and butterflies through our planting plans. An entire wild eco-system lives at the heart of the city – the park is a living space.
In December 2021, following extensive local engagement, we were awarded £2.4m of National Lottery Heritage funding to restore and revitalise the People’s Park. Our thanks goes to lottery players who made this possible. We’re now undertaking a four-year project using the heritage of Victoria Park to create a more inclusive space where local people can improve their wellbeing, learn and find new opportunities. With new buildings and infrastructure sympathetic to the park’s landscape and history and the help of a team of volunteers, we will deliver a programme of exciting events and activities to build a community in the park.
Find out more about the project and how you can get involved on the Victoria Park website.
Located in the centre of the city, the park is easy to get to on foot, by bike or via public transport:
Victoria Park, Anglesea Rd, Portsmouth, PO1 3HJ
If you would like to support the revival of Victoria Park you can visit the website, follow Victoria Park on Facebook or sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and volunteering opportunities.
