I need a very brief history on the rise of Town & Country Parks in
Britain.  Basically I just need a source that says the parks system in
Britain was influenced by North American ideas of provincial/state
parks.

Please also direct me to the official T&C Parks website.

Ummm, I'm a little confused. If you take Hyde Park in London as one
example, it has been a public park since 1635.  Northernhay Gardens in
Exeter was a public park in 1612.  I find it hard to believe that
these were influenced by North American ideas.

Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, etc. are the "Royal Parks".  The Town &
Country Parks were apparently designated for conservation purposes.

It's the National Parks that are specifically aimed at conservation,
although they will include recreation elements too, for example Peak
District, Snowdonia, North Yorks Moors, Lake District
Association of National Park Authorities:
http://www.anpa.gov.uk/template_home.asp?PageID=155&LanguageID=1

Town parks and country parks specifically focus on recreation.  Town
parks are maintained by the local authorities as a free facility open
to all. They will probably include a children's playground, and
possibly some other facilities such as tennis courts, bowling green,
bandstand, etc.

Country parks can have a variety of owners, including commercial
companies. Often they have an admission charge, eg "Oldown Country
Park has been specialising in ‘all that’s best in the countryside’ for
the past 20 years. Set in beautiful countryside, just north of
Bristol, Oldown offers a farm activity centre, woodland walks,
adventure playgrounds, a steam train and much, much more."
http://www.oldown.co.uk/index.asp

Hi kariny

The phrase "town and country parks" combined with an interest in
American influences on British parks makes me think of some very
recent developments in UK 'green spaces' planning. In 1999 there was a
government report on "Town and Country Parks".  Planners working on
this and subsequent reports have been influenced by the idea of
'liveability' which, as you will know, originated in the US.

"Liveability is not a new concept. Indeed it has existed in the US for
over 30 years. It first manifested itself as the American Local
Government Commission 'liveability principles' in response to the
detrimental conditions caused by the escalating urban sprawl."

From a report on sustainable development which includes discussion of
parks:
http://www.sd-commission.gov.uk/commission/plenary/mar02/live.htm



Recent efforts to renew and improve parks in the UK started with the
1999 parliamentary report on "Town and Country Parks":
http://www.l-i.org.uk/newsnov99.htm

The actual phrase "town and country parks" was not much used in media
reports, witness this article in a newspaper known for 'socially
responsible' reporting:

"Guardian" report: "The havens that have gone to hell"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,253803,00.html



The "Town and Country Parks" report gave rise to an Urban Green Spaces
Task Force:
http://www.urban.odpm.gov.uk/greenspace/taskforce/final/

The chairman of the Task Force related their work to "the American
concept of liveability":
"It is a Government priority to improve the quality of the local
environment in our towns and cities. The Prime Minister announced, in
April, a number of measures to improve local quality of life. This
agenda of measures is based on the American concept of "liveability".
Liveability is about tackling small problems which may appear trivial
but when neglected have a serious impact on the quality of
neighbourhoods and communities, and the people living there. This
involves tackling anti-social behaviour, litter and dog fouling and
the maintenance of roads and public spaces."

Speech given by Sally Keeble MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:OJRLkAr01pkC:www.civictrust.org.uk/policy%2520and%2520campaigns/speeches/keeble.shtml+%22green+spaces%22+usa+OR+american&hl=en&ie=UTF-8



The Task Force's final report, "Green Spaces, Better Places", mentions
the USA twice:

One of their recommendations is "Further research should be undertaken
to assess the transferability of overseas good practice in partnership
working in parks and green spaces management, especially experience
from the USA" (p81)

While discussing specific projects, they refer to "the Mile End Park
Project, very much on the lines of many American models"  (p40)

Urban Green Spaces Task Force
http://www.urban.odpm.gov.uk/greenspace/taskforce/final/



Now the Task Force have completed their report, the government is
allocating money to the Commission for Architecture and the Built
Environment who will establish a "Green Spaces Unit", see:
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page1650.asp



If you are pursuing an American influence on British parks, I think
your best hope is looking at this idea of liveability. It clearly
originated in the US and has recently been taken up in the UK, even
being described as a "buzz word" in a parliamentary select committee:
"Mr Cummings - .... I want to refer to the new buzz word, Minister,
"liveability" as communicated by the Prime Minister. How do we measure
liveability? What targets has the Government set for it What action
will your Department be taking to ensure that it meets these targets?
(Lord Falconer of Thoroton) I have heard of the buzz word
"liveability" as well."
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmtlgr/854/2052103.htm


Note the British spelling in these search results for 'liveability'
and 'green spaces':
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=liveability++%22green+spaces%22+OR+%22town+and+country+parks%22&hl=en&lr=&cr=countryUK|countryGB&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N




Other articles I came across while researching this:

Take a Hike
http://www.guardian.co.uk/analysis/story/0,3604,725092,00.html

Come out to Play
http://www.guardian.co.uk/parents/story/0,3605,770237,00.html

£500m cash plan to boost city parks
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,711015,00.html

Consumerism speeds decline of parks 
http://society.guardian.co.uk/regeneration/story/0,7940,711453,00.html

English Heritage denies neglecting parks
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/506912.stm


Possible links between British park planning and USA:
://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&lr=&cr=countryUK|countryGB&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=+site:www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk+%22town+*+country+parks%22+usa+OR+america



I am not sure if this is the kind of answer you were seeking and so I
am posting it as a comment. Good luck with your work on parks in
Britain.


Leli