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On the north-east corner of King and Wellington Streets sits a pretty, green oasis known as Wellington Park. During the 1800's, this land was part of the Crown grant given to Robert Land, one of Hamilton's first settlers. The City of Hamilton purchased this property on February 25, 1857, from Mr. W. Myles for $5,530 and until 1885 this site functioned as a City lumber yard. The land was poorly maintained until August 27, 1890, when a group of citizens took it upon themselves to beautify the area with flowers and shrubs. Following this decisive action by local citizens, the Hamilton Parks Board approved a Victorian landscape design, created by Thomas Kilvington, City gardener. This plan included an attractively designed fountain that remained in operation until 1928.
The park was redeveloped in 1965 and again in 1991. In 1991, the park was designed with an effort to capture once again some of the park's former elegance. This included construction of a new fountain using the original base of the first fountain, as well as adding flowers, decorative street-lighting fixtures, benches, and walkways. The Robinson Funeral Chapel, which borders the park, generously donated $25,000 toward the new fountain, through the City's Friends of the Parks Programme. On June 8, 1991, the City of Hamilton hosted rededication ceremonies, 100 years after the first Wellington Park fountain dedication. These ceremonies were held to celebrate the new features of the park, and of course the reconstructed fountain, all reflecting a passive Victorian Character.
