It was established by funds raised by public subscription and purchased from the 31-acre estate of Lady Hoghton, a local landowner, for £6,200 (approximately £400,000 in today's money).

Many of its original features remain to this day, including the carriage drive, serpentine paths, amphitheatre and the Head Gardener's house.

Archaeological finds include a Roman coin, minted in the reign of Emperor Gallienus, and a halberd (a type of spear) from the 16th century.

The park is 2 miles east of Manchester city centre and covers almost 31 acres, bounded to the north by the River Medlock which flows westwards in an open terracotta brick culvert with level banks and central channel within stone walls which retain embankments rising almost 8 feet on both sides.

The park's visitor centre is housed in a lodge commissioned in 1868 from the architect Alfred Darbyshire, who also designed Manchester's Palace Theatre.