Brooklands, New Plymouth

A large part of Brooklands is parkland, with Brooklands Park adjoining the New Plymouth racecourse and Pukekura Park. In 1957, its natural amphitheatre and lake were converted into the Bowl of Brooklands, recognised as one of New Zealand's finest outdoor concert venues. The Bowl plays host to many international acts and is the venue for the New Zealand edition of the WOMAD festival. The park includes a children's zoo, opened in 1965 and operated by the District Council. The Gables, a colonial hospital building, which was completed in 1848, on the orders of Governor Sir George Grey, to provide medical care for Māori and Pākēha was moved to the Brooklands estate in 1904. It is a Category 1 listed Historic Place and is New Zealand's oldest surviving hospital building, and functions as a gallery for the Taranaki Arts Society. A zoo is located in the suburb, the Brooklands Zoo which includes: monkeys, meerkats, otters, agoutis, capybara, owls, brolgas, tortoises, lizards, frogs, newts and other animals. New Plymouth's main electricity distribution substation is in the Brooklands area. ==History==

Captain Henry King established Brooklands farm in 1842, as a model farm for the New Zealand Company, promoters of the New Plymouth settlement. The farmhouse was razed by fire near the end of the First Taranaki War in March 1861, but its chimney still stands in Brooklands park today. The suburb expanded south to its current limits in the 1950s. ==Education==

• St Pius X School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of 129 St Pius X is a state integrated Catholic school. and has a decile rating of 8. • Highlands Intermediate School is a coeducational intermediate (years 7–8) school with a roll of 684. It has a decile rating of 7 and was founded in 1955. Facilities include a hockey turf. The uniform consists of a polo shirt, sweatshirt and then for girls a choice of culottes or a skirt and boys wear shorts. == Gallery ==

File:Brooklands chimney.jpg|The chimney of Henry King's 1842 farmhouse. File:Gables hospital.jpg|The Gables File:Bowls museum.jpg|The New Zealand Bowls Museum is located at the New Plymouth Bowling club. ==References==