Sometime in the late 1870s/ early 1880s a flourishing athletic club was formed in Coalville. The Coalville Athletic Club organised a grand sports day each year which enabled them to raise funds to purchase their own grounds on London Road. These athletic grounds would have provided a recreational space for the community, many of whom would have worked at the local collieries.
In 1896 there was a proposal to hand over the land to be managed by the local council providing an undertaking was given to exclude all ball games thereon. The gift of the ground accepted and the chairman of the council paid tribute to those who had raised the £3,000 to purchase the ground over a period of 20 years. He promised that a well-designed park would be made for the public of Coalville. The park was formally opened on 8 March 1899 and this is commemorated by an inscription on the obelisk located in the centre of the park.
The park was developed in the Victorian style and still largely retains the original layout of paths and shrubberies to the outer edges and lawns and flower beds to the centre with the addition of the play areas and tennis courts at a later date.
Fast forward in time and in 2014 a Peace Garden was created in the park as an area for reflection to commemorate the two World Wars. The garden was designed and implemented working with local historian Michael Kendrick and The Royal British Legion. The space includes formal planting, metalwork features, mosaics and seating.
In 2018 Coalville Park established its Centenary Park status through Fields in Trust partnered with The Royal British Legion. The programme protects parks and green spaces in perpetuity to honour the memory of the millions who lost their lives in World War I.
In 2019 Coalville Park became the first open space in North West Leicestershire to achieve the Green Flag award. Green Flag status is reserved for parks and green spaces that set a high standard and are appropriately managed to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
Source: Coalville Heritage Society, Fields in Trust, NWLDC