Chapelfield Gardens (Norwich)

 park, Grade II Listed (UK)

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Chapel Fields takes its name from the college of St Mary-in-the-Fields with which the land was associated until the Dissolution in 1545. Initially this open space was granted to a private citizen but it was sold to the city in 1569, to be held in trust, and to begin with it was leased for use as archery butts and grazing land. By 1655 however the city leases included the 'rights of citizens of ingress and egress ... to walk for their recreation at all times' and in 1707 the grounds were railed in. During the middle of the C18 the lease was held by Sir Thomas Churchman who planted three main walks with avenues of elm around the perimeter of the site which became 'a place of much promenade particularly on Sunday afternoons'