The park was laid out in early 1894, and comprises a 16-acre (65,000 m2) municipal sports ground and a 9-acre (36,000 m2) public park and pleasure ground. The benefactor, Sir John Maple, the owner of Maple's furniture store in Tottenham Court Road and who lived at nearby Childwickbury, donated the land and paid for the laying out, the planting and the construction of the buildings; the layout of the park itself was designed by the City Surveyor, Mr G. Ford. A striking water fountain, which can still be seen today, was donated by Lady Maple.
The park was opened on 23 July 1894 by the Duke of Cambridge, a member of the Royal family, and the event was accompanied by great celebrations in the city of St Albans.[1] The sports ground hosts cricket, hockey, bowls and croquet and is also the home of St Albans City Football Club.
The public park includes large grass areas used for sun bathing and games during summer, a bandstand, a children's play-park and a café. The public park is also used as the site of some of the human "Peopletown" skits on Disney Channel's preschool series Bunnytown.
Football ground[edit] Clarence Park is the home ground of St Albans City FC and it has been since their formation in 1908. It was used by St Albans FC and St Albans Amateurs FC prior to the formation of St Albans City.[1] On 22 September 1894, the first football match at Clarence Park took place.[1] In the 1992-93 season, St Albans City finished as runners-up in the Isthmian League but were denied promotion due a low ground grading as a result of a diseased oak tree within one of the terraces.[2]