Herbert Park is the name of a road and a public park in Ballsbridge

Ballsbridge

Ballsbridge is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, named for the bridge spanning the River Dodder on the south side of the city. The sign on the bridge still proclaims it as "Ball's Bridge" in recognition of the fact that the original bridge in this location was built and owned by a Mr...

, Dublin.

History

The land used for the park was given to the city by the Earl of Pembroke whose family name was Herbert. In 1907, the World Fair known as the Irish International Exhibition

Irish International Exhibition (1907)

The Irish International Exhibition was a world's fair held in Dublin, Ireland, in 1907, when the country was still part of the United Kingdom.-Summary:...

 was held in Ballsbridge. When the structures had been dismantled, the site was developed as the current public park, with the bandstand and pond being the only remaining structures from the time. It is now maintained by Dublin City Councilhttp://www.dublincity.ie/living_in_the_city/leisure_activities/parks/. The former site of the Johnston, Mooney & O'Brien bakery bordered the park and when that site was redeveloped as the Herbert Park Hotelhttp://www.herbertparkhotel.ie, a new entrance was opened at the easternmost end of the park.

Amenities

The park is thirty-two acres in size and is in two halves, divided by a road, also called Herbert Park. A full circuit of the park's perimeter is almost exactly one mile, a fact used by runners and walkers to measure their progress. The larger half, on the south side of the road, is bounded by the River Dodder

River Dodder

The River Dodder is one of the three main rivers of the Dublin region in Ireland, the others being the Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the Tolka.-Course and system:...

, houses, and includes a number of soccer pitches, formal gardens, and a large duck pond

Duck pond

A duck pond is a pond for ducks and other water fowl. Duck ponds provide habitats for water fowl and other birds, who use the water to bathe in and drink....

 and an older public children's playground

Playground

A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...

. The northern half is home to the newly refurbished public children's playground

Playground

A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...

, a number of tennis court

Tennis court

A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...

s, and the bowling green

Bowling green

A bowling green is a finely-laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of lawn for playing the game of lawn bowls.Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on them...

 of Herbert Park Bowling Club.

The park's pond has proven to be an excellent location for breeding of carp

Carp

Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...

. In February 2006 the pond was nearly completely emptied in order for cleaning to take place. The carp were removed to alternative locations. These carp were up to 2 foot (0.6096 m) in length. In spring 2009, the pond was re-stocked (see picture).

External links

• A brief history of the park
• Virtual Tour of the Park