Chapelfield Gardens

Chapelfield Gardens is a public park in Norwich. It is the earliest surviving ornamental public open space in the city, and a Grade II listed park. It is triangular in shape and features a bandstand.

Initially the site of a section of the Norwich city walls from around 1253, the name of the land now known as Chapelfield Gardens was derived from the chapel of St Mary in the Fields formerly in the area. The land was claimed by the citizens of Norwich in 1406. After the destruction of the chapel due to the dissolution of the monasteries in 1545, the land was granted to a private citizen, though was sold to the city and held in a trust from 1569. It was subject to mixed use over the early modern period, including for military training as well as morning exercise for ladies and gentlemen of leisure. Crowds mustered in the field prior to the Great Blow riot of 1648.

By 1655, citizens were given the right to walk on the land for recreation at all times. The land had developed into Norwich's earliest pleasure garden and an entertainment district for the wealthy by the end of the 17th century, with the nearby Chapel Field House being integrated into its layout. The grounds were further developed over the 18th century, adding fences, a theatre and bowling green, and walks with avenues of trees. At the end of the 18th century, its central area was leased to the Waterworks Company which added a reservoir and water tower. This grew over time, and the public were redirected to Castle Ditches as a new public park in response to expressed annoyance.

The Waterworks Company gave up their lease in 1852, and the city laid out the land as a public garden which opened on 17 April that year. Further developments ensued, including a drill hall, an iron palisade, the flattening of the area, a 40-ton iron pagoda designed by Thomas Jeckyll and made by Barnard, Bishop & Barnards for the 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition, the present polygonal bandstand, a refreshment pavilion, and a children's play area. During World War II, Chapelfield Gardens was home to military structures including a barrage balloon site and underground shelters. The pagoda was damaged by bombing and demolished in 1949, and the construction of the nearby Grapes Hill roundabout cut off a corner of the gardens in the 1970s. In the present day, the park is home to sculptures and artwork and central for events including Norwich Pride.