| Prince Alfred Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | Urban Park |
| Location | Surry Hills |
| Nearest city | Sydney |
| Coordinates | 33°53′17″S151°12′18″E / 33.888°S 151.205°E /-33.888; 151.205 |
| Area | 7.5 hectares |
| Created | December 1865 |
| Operated by | City of Sydney |
| Website | Prince Alfred Park |
Prince Alfred Park is anurban park inSurry Hills,Sydney, Australia. It is bounded byChalmers Street to the east,Cleveland Street to the south and theMain Suburban railway line to the west.
In December 1865, part of Cleveland Paddocks was gazetted as a public reserve after a local landmark house built in the 1820s namedCleveland House. In 1868 it was named Prince Alfred Park afterPrince Alfred when he visitedSydney.[1]
The park layout was designed byBenjamin Backhouse. From 1869 until 1881, it hosted theRoyal Easter Show.[2] In 1870 the park hosted theSydney Intercolonial Exhibition to mark the centenary ofJames Cook’s landing.[3] After the exhibition, the Exhibition Building hosted important events and exhibitions. It housed theAustralian War Memorial from 1925 until 1936 when it moved toCanberra.[1][4]
Trees from the original 1870 plan of the park still exist, includingMoreton Bay fig trees along the boundaries.[1]
Tennis courts were opened in 1924 and a swimming pool in 1954. In 1926, theNew South Wales Government Railways opened the Prince Alfred Sidings on the western border of the park.[5] These were closed in June 1995.[6] An ice skating rink existed behind the pool from 1959 until 1997.[1]
In 1960 the Prince Alfred Park Swimming Pool opened.[7] It was demolished in 2009 as part of a major upgrade of the park and the pool by theCity of Sydney. It reopened in May 2013 after suffering delays related to extended periods of wet weather and the discovery of contaminated soil on site.[8][9][10]
In June 1979 theEastern Suburbs railway line opened beneath the park.[11] In 2020 the Inner Sydney High School opened in the south-east corner.[12]
Media related toPrince Alfred Park, Sydney at Wikimedia Commons