History of Ropner Park

In June 1890, Major Robert Ropner offered a piece of land to the people of Stockton which could be used as a public park, providing the local council would lay it out tastefully and keep it for ever. Just over 3 years later, on 4th October 1893, the park was officially opened by the then Duke & Duchess of York .

Aided by a heritage lottery fund grant of over £2.65m. Stockton Council have been able to restore the park to what it was originally, a typical Victorian park

The lake has been drained and restored, and the fountainis now in working order. A new bandstand has been built to a design recognisable the world over. An adventure playground is enjoyed by families and tennis courts are in place for the energetic.Nearby is a new pavilion which houses the cafe, which is run by the Friends of Ropner Park and is open every day.

The new, restored Ropner Park has proved to be very popular, having something to please visitors of all ages.

The Friends of Ropner Park

The group was officially formed in October 2002. The main aim of the group is to encourage people to use and enjoy the park.

We run regular events both in the park and in the wider community and we also organise bandstand concerts on Summer Sunday afternoons. We are particularly keen to encourage young people to become involved with both the park and the group.

We produce a regular newsletter which keeps members up to date with the latest developments in the park. We also hold meetings so that members can raise issues.

We realise that there are more activities that could take place, nature rambles for instance, but to do more, we need more volunteers.

Why don`t you come and join us?

Membership Form

Robert Ropner

Colonel Sir Robert Ropner Bt., M.P., V.D., J.P., was the son of John Henry Ropner of Magdeburg, Prussia. As a child in Germany the young Robert avidly read books about the sea and seafaring, these fed his dreams of ocean travel, even though he had never seen the sea. His dreams were however to be shattered; after travelling to hamburg and stowing away on a British ship the young Robert Ropner suffered through a rough jouney to West Hartlepool in the North East of England, this put payed to all his ideas of a life at sea.

He settled in England, finding a job and a wife. As an ambitious young man working for a firm of coal exporters, he very soon understood that if he and his partners where to make any real money they needed to own their own ships. In 1868 the 'Amy' was built by a local shipyard the first of a growing fleet. Ropner used his German origins to build the business by trading with ports around the Baltic.