History of Greville Smyth Park
In 1881, the 21 acre Clift House estate, belonging to the Smyths of Ashton Court, was given to the city by Sir Greville Smyth 'for the purpose of forming a public park or pleasure ground'. In 1884, the city council approved works to protect the site from flooding, erect fences, walls and gates, lay out paths, and plant trees and shrubs.
In 1902, Lady Smyth gave the city a further four acres of land for the park and requested that the site, which used to be called Ashton or Bedminster Park, should be renamed Greville Smyth Park. In 1905, the open air pool on the western edge of the park, now gone, was opened together with those at Eastville and Victoria Park.
Twentieth century road building, including Ashton Avenue and Clift House Road, has reduced the original site. Much still remains, on the eastern side of this very popular local park, of the formal shrub and flower beds, rockeries, and splendid mature specimen trees including Limes and London Planes.