The park has two ponds and varied tree cover, and was designed and laid out between 1870 and 1872 by the celebrated Victorian gardener Edward Milner.

[1][2] Following the national trend of providing public parks, and with the closure of the nearby Temple Gardens, which had operated on a semi-public basis, the Lincoln Commons Act (1870) was passed.

Authorisation was also given to sell 3 acres (1.2 ha) of the land for residential building purposes to help fund the layout and construction of the Arboretum, which would become Lincoln's first truly public park.

[2] The Arboretum reopened on 19 September 2003, following £3 million worth of restoration work to bring it back to its original state.

Works have included: overhauling and improving the facilities at Abbey Lodge to provide a community access centre and visitor tea rooms, restoration of the Victorian bandstand, new period railings, restoration of a cast iron folly, new asphalt footpaths, refurbished gardens and extensive replanting, the introduction of a new children's maze, resurfacing of the major terrace feature, refurbishment of the ponds and bridges, underpinning and replacement of the stone steps, new lighting columns, installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV), refurbishment of the children play area, restoration of the lion statue and restoration of the two fountain features.