The green space now known as Jean Stansfield Memorial and Vicarage Park has developed from two neighbouring areas with quite different histories, bringing together land associated with St Chad’s Church for centuries and a memorial created following the death of a young Poulton girl. Although the two areas are now generally regarded as a single park, the Jean Stansfield Memorial Park was established first, in 1926, while the adjoining Vicarage Park was developed almost thirty years later on land that had previously formed part of Poulton’s old vicarage grounds.
The association of the Vicarage Park site with St Chad’s Church stretches back much further. A vicarage was established in Poulton in the medieval period, with records placing Poulton Vicarage in extensive grounds to the east of the church by 1287. These grounds remained closely connected with the ecclesiastical history of the town for centuries and included land associated with the collection and storage of tithes. By the twentieth century, however, Poulton was expanding rapidly and parts of this historic church land began to acquire new uses.
The story of the neighbouring memorial park began with Jean Stansfield, the only daughter of Mr and Mrs S. F. Stansfield, who died on 27 September 1923 and was buried in the churchyard of St Chad’s Church. Deeply affected by their loss, her parents chose to create a lasting memorial that would benefit the wider community. They purchased approximately two acres of land from the church and presented it to the people of Poulton as a recreation ground where local children could play. The Jean Stansfield Memorial Park was dedicated on 17 June 1926, permanently associating their daughter’s name with a place intended for the enjoyment of future generations.
The facilities developed as the park became established. Poulton’s first public bowling green and pavilion opened there in 1938, adding another important recreational facility close to the centre of the town. The adjoining land, however, still formed part of the former vicarage grounds. This changed in 1951 when the old vicarage land was sold to Poulton Council, providing an opportunity to substantially increase the amount of public open space available in the growing town.
Vicarage Park was developed on the former vicarage grounds in 1955. The transformation also brought an end to another surviving feature of Poulton’s ecclesiastical past when the old tithe barn was demolished that year. A tithe barn had existed in the area for centuries, with the structure having been rebuilt at different times during its history. Tennis courts were subsequently established on its former site as the old church land was incorporated into the new recreational landscape.
The creation of Vicarage Park effectively placed two public green spaces side by side: the memorial park given to Poulton by the Stansfield family in 1926 and the larger area developed from the former vicarage grounds in 1955. Over time the distinction between them became less obvious as paths, landscaping and recreational facilities brought the neighbouring areas together. They are now officially described by Wyre Council as Jean Stansfield Memorial and Vicarage Park and function as one of Poulton-le-Fylde’s principal public green spaces.
Further improvements have introduced children’s play facilities, a multi-use games area, landscaped and wildflower areas and wildlife habitats, while the bowling green continues to be used by Poulton Bowling Club. The work of the Friends of Jean Stansfield Park has also contributed to improvements and new facilities. The combined park has received the Green Flag Award, recognising the quality and management of a public space whose origins stretch from Poulton’s medieval church lands to the generosity of a grieving family in the twentieth century.
In 2026, Jean Stansfield Memorial Park reached its centenary. A community celebration was held on 20 June, with entertainment and activities marking one hundred years since the Stansfield family’s gift. A commemorative sandstone memorial was unveiled by the Mayor of Wyre as a permanent reminder of the park’s origins and the generations of Poulton families who have enjoyed it. A century after the memorial park was created, and more than seventy years after the neighbouring former vicarage grounds became Vicarage Park, the two spaces have become inseparable parts of the same public landscape, preserving both the memory of Jean Stansfield and a much older connection with St Chad’s Church.
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