[4] The park was donated to the citizens of the city by Sir David Baxter and his two sisters Mary Ann and Eleanor.

The land was acquired in 1861, on a site that at the time was on the edge of the city, and it was laid out at a cost of £40,000, with an additional £10,000 set aside as an endowment to be managed by a board of trustees.

[6] In the centre of the park is a two-storey Italian Renaissance style pavilion built of Bannockburn freestone.

A marble statue of David Baxter, by John Steell and paid for by public subscription, was placed on the north side of the pavilion.

The redevelopment of the pavilion, which had been derelict for many years, included the opening of a registry office and a café.