In 1889, the initial 21 acres (8.5 ha) of land was transferred to the town by the proprietors of Huntley & Palmers.

[4] Popular with local residents for various activities, it often hosts religious festivals, sports tournaments and small special events.

However, they had to suspend the annual event due to the discovery of ground subsidence in the park in 2001.

[5] Chalk mines were found underneath the park and the weight of the fairground rides posed a great danger.

The areas affected have now been shored up and compacted to stop any incident from occurring and the Fair is visiting again.