In the final episode of the mini-series, we welcome Dr Abi Gilmore of the University of Manchester to talk about the significance of parks today.

Abi's research investigates cultural spaces and how we use them. We discuss what her work has shown her about people's everyday experiences in the park, and how the COVID-19 lockdown has impacted our view of green spaces.

The first half of the twentieth century saw the devastation of two world wars. On the home front in Britain, the park was crucial to the war effort.

Parks were used for military drills, growing of food, shelter from air raids and government propaganda. In this episode we explore the park at war and how everyday park goers felt about the requisitioning of their parks.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the British Empire was at its zenith. Almost everything in everyday life had a link to the Empire, and a stroll in the park was no exception.

In this episode, we explore the landscape and architecture of Empire that is still in our parks today, with a virtual walk through Greenhead Park in Huddersfield, UK.

What is the wrong way to behave in a park? Vandalism? Criminal activity? How about sitting on the grass if you're a man, and being out after 4pm if you're a woman?

In this episode we explore the 'right' and 'wrong' behaviours in the nineteenth century park and how they were linked to public aspirations and anxieties.

The public parks of the nineteenth century were designed with children in mind. In this episode, we trace changing perceptions of childhood from pre-Enlightenment to the late Victorian era and get to grips with why the park was the perfect place for a child to grow.

Parks are everywhere. They're spaces for us to meet friends, exercise and play. Yet 200 years ago there was no such thing as a public park.

In the first of a six-part mini-series all about parks, we explore how the park came to be and why the Industrial Revolution is at the heart of the park's story.