Charlie Cake Park - A Brief History
Did you know that Charlie Cake Park was once called “Whingate Park” and that it was renamed after a peddler that used to live there? He was called Charlie Cake and he sold the finest patisseries and petite gateaux in Armley. In fact, he was known as far as Kirkstall and his cakes were sought after.
The park was owned by the Gotts family and it was where Charlie would come to rest his horse after the struggle of busy Armley Town street. The park is where Charlie would come to sell his cakes to the genteel residents of upper Armley.
The main reason the park is named after Charlie is that he began making triangular shortbread and named the cakes after the park. It was said that anyone buying a dozen cakes was given one for free. This became so famous it was presented to the Queen of England at the opening of Leodis Town Hall in 1853. After his death, he was so beloved by the local people that the Gotts family renamed the triangular green, Charlie Cake Park.
