In August 2001, The Mail reported that Barrow Borough Council was applying for money from the Heritage Lottery Fund for work at Barrow Park.

Under the headline ‘Can the park be restored to its old Victorian glory?’ The Mail stated that improvement work on the park could commence in the summer of 2002.

The council was proposing to spend £2.2 million on restoring the park, of which 66 per cent would come from the lottery fund and the remainder would come from Barrow.

Barrow Borough Council estates and development manager Steve Warbrick said: “We want to restore Barrow Park to its former Victorian glory.

“We will restore the core area of the park, from the cenotaph down to the lake.

“The cenotaph itself is going to be cleaned and tidied up and there will be better access to the base.”

Mr Warbrick added: “We are also reintroducing a park keeper service to the park. We have recently installed CCTV and re-introduced locking the park.”

A replacement bandstand would also be built in the style of the original.

The original was pulled down in the 1960 because it had become unsafe.

Other plans for the park included a water feature for the lake, the restoration of the show greenhouse, for which the park was famous, and the relocation of the children’s play area.

Barrow Park is bounded by Abbey Road, Park Drive, Greengate Street and Park Avenue.

It was designed by Thomas Mawson. Originally sited on the outskirts of Barrow, the park is now more or less central due to the rapid growth of the town northwards during the early 20th century.

The park features a boating lake and the town's principal cenotaph, which commemorates almost 900 Barrovians who lost their lives in various wars.