[3] A public meeting took place in St George's Hall, Bradford on 13 August 1850 to discuss the creation of a park as a memorial to Sir Robert Peel who had died that year.

[4] Together with a government donation of £1,500, funding was raised from Sir Robert Milligan, Sir Titus Salt, Forbes and Company and by numerous other private subscriptions to purchase 26 ha (64 acres) of land that was subsequently named Peel Park Estate, and some 22.6 ha (56 acres) of this land was developed as Peel Park.

[1][2][4] John Beanland, another leading figure in the project, worked closely with Salt and Milligan to facilitate the purchase and secure financial backing, ensuring the park’s creation.

[6] In 1902 an ornamental bandstand was erected midway along The Terrace but today this location is occupied by the statue of Sir Robert Peel.

In 1997 Bradford City's centenary year, 100 trees were planted in the park and this is commemorated by a stone plaque on a boulder near the southern entrance.

[3] The main linear path through the park is The Terrace extending east west on which can be found a number of statues.

[9] One such is a statue of Sir Robert Peel made in 1855[10] and dressed in a mid 19th century frock coat and mounted on a cylindrical ashlar sandstone plinth.

By the side of the bridge taking The Terrace over a carriageway is a wall drinking fountain (1859) with red granite surround put there by Charles P Melly a Liverpool cotton merchant and philanthropist.

[2][3][15] Close to the Bolton Road entrance, adjacent to formal gardens is a 'distorted figure-of-eight' shaped lake with two islands and a variety of water fowl.

[19] Bradford Mela is a large scale celebration principally of South Asian culture[20] and was the first such event in Europe.

[21][22] The Mela took place in the 'Events Area' in the far north east of the park from 1998 until 2012 except for 2007 and 2012 when it was cancelled due to bad weather and ground conditions.