One of the earliest parks in the country that was open to the public, but in ownership of a private benefactor, when it opened in 1848. It was laid out by successive Dukes of Norfolk and gifted to the city in 1909. The park was designed more as traditional parkland rather than gardens or pleasure grounds. It retains many original features including the circular ride, open expanses of grass, avenues of trees and an enclosing woodland belt. The landscaping was designed to provide vistas over the city. A valley within the park was filled in in 1959 to create a level events area. Prior to the creation of the public park the area was rural consisting of fields enclosed in a piecemeal fashion from the medieval deer park of Sheffield. Probable fragmentary legibility of pre ornamental landscape features.