Spiral Of Decline

From the late 1960’s and the onset of civil unrest in the city Brooke Park entered into a spiral of decline, army personnel occupied part of the Gwyn building from the late 1960’s and were mobile in the grounds. During this period a lot of the mature vegetation was removed for security purposes. In 1973 the building was firebombed and only a roofless shell remained, the site was left derelict for a number of years and was finally demolished in 1986.

During the 1980’s there were some initiatives to improve the park, £50,000 was allocated from the Inner City Trust for refurbishment, the key changes to the park at this time included the pond area and the introduction of a children’s playground. The works carried out at this stage were unsympathetic to what is essentially a Victorian park. As the years have progressed Brooke Park has suffered heavily from anti-social behaviour and a loss of ownership. The character and quality of this once popular park has declined in common with many urban parks.