Enmore Park Plan of Management - Land

Conservation Management StrategyEnmore ParkVarious residents’ letters in the correspondence files from the 1920s highlight the rundown,barren and neglected state of Enmore Park, drawing attention to old and deteriorated signage andseating. The removal of the original fence around the park in November 1924 is referred to insome letters from that time, as is the effect of horses and cattle being allowed to wander andgraze through the park, even prior to the fence removal. Various residents wrote to Councilduring this period with proposals to construct playgrounds and associated facilities in the park,some even suggesting that its edges could be subdivided for residential development to raiserevenue for its proper maintenance.Figure H7 Photo from c.1922 looking south-east through the park, showing the park’s central featuremarked by the tall palm and the young Phoenix palms (extending across the photo at centre)planted along the path from Enmore Road. It would seem that the large bandstand was not builtby the time this photograph was taken. The arrow shows the perimeter fence around the park.Source: Marrickville local history centre.Council letters to local residents in and around 1926 confirm that sole control of the park wastransferred to Council around that time and that it was its intent to pursue the option of a formalactive recreation area for cricket, football and cycling. By 1927 a cricket pitch (likely to havebeen a rather informal one) existed in the south-eastern corner of the park, about thirty yardsfrom the road, near the bandstand. From 1927 Council granted permission to several sportingbodies to train on Enmore Park, including the Vicars Waratah Football Club. Movable soccerposts were allowed to be erected in the park in the same year. However, in October 1927, theCouncil decided, upon review of a design and estimate for a sports area in the park, not to pursuethis option and to improve the park along other lines. During the same year it banned the use ofthe park for training of greyhounds.It would appear from Council and community correspondence gathered by this consultant thatthe park’s name changed from Marrickville Park to Enmore Park between 1925 and 1927, but itwould seem that these names were interchangeable for several decades. The park had also beenreferred to as Victoria Park on the undated subdivision plan for the Lewellin Estate prepared byJ.H. Laycock, Licensed Surveyor.Mayne-Wilson & Associates8Conservation Landscape Architects