Baxter Park Conservation Area

Baxter Park was designed in 1863 by Sir Joseph Paxton, possibly the most important Victoria park designer, and this is the most complete Paxton park in Scotland. The park therefore has significant interest as a historic designed landscape, but it is also important as an attractive large area of mature planting within this otherwise fairly densely built-up part of the city. Its boundary walls, gateways and, not least, the views of the central pavilion forming vistas to surrounding streets, all contribute to the dignified suburban character of the wider area. North of the park is the impressive towering monument of Morgan Academy, contemporary with it, and forming a landmark in Maryfield Conservation Area.

The other buildings surrounding were built after it, and are of interest in the way they relate to it. The park is contained to its west by the long run of Baxter Park Terrace. This is formed by high quality individual tenement blocks built from 1885, north to south, completed over 20 years later. They differ from the more utilitarian tenements in the hard-edged street blocks to the east. The blocks are four storeys, some with bay windows, elaborate stone mouldings, and remnants of decorative railings, some are plainer. They are fronted by attractive private gardens, almost continuous with the park, due to the narrowness of the street. To the east of the park, the individual late 19th and early 20th century detached and semi-detached houses all face the other way, except the terrace at Wortley Place, to the north corner, fronted by an original section of the park's boundary railings.

The south edge of the park was originally formed by a series of elaborate railings, continuous with the grandiose gateway, fronted by an avenue of street trees. The tenements opposite, while some are good of their type, contribute little to the park, and indeed mostly obliterate the once important views through the landscape to the Tay.