text:
Wikipedia:Deletion policy/schools

There currently is no consensus on inclusion of high schools despite numerous attempts to create one. This is indeed unfortunate, but it is the status quo.

See also: Talk:List of schools in the United States/Delete, User talk:Rambot/Delete, Kill the Stub Pages, Wiki is not paper, Eternal Ephemeral thread of the WikiEn-l archive, October 2003, inclusionism, eventualism.

Should Wikipedia have articles on schools?

Rather than discuss this repeatedly on VfD every time a school article appears, it would be more sensible to gain a consensus which could be applied to all of them. That's what this page is for.

 * More sensible than a special rule that applies only to schools would be a consistent rule that applies to all articles. Such as: keep all content that can be confirmed to be true. -- Oliver P. 02:29, 23 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * This is about more than what can be "confirmed to be true". I'm currently in favour of keeping schools, but strongly against insignificant articles which, while verifiable, are for other reasons completely unsuitable for an encyclopedia. Angela

Reasons to keep

 * In response to "High schools are not important enough and number too many. This is comparable to writing an account of every Walmart or Public Library in the United States (or similar chains in other countries). Yes, you can write about who does what at the school, who founded it, what it's named, but it's not encyclopedic." - The goal is to make a comprehensive encylopedia, and to make it stand out, it should have an incredible amount of detail. Our nearby library has a very interesting history behind it, and when I get time I plan to add an article outlining its history. Schools and libraries should definately each have their own page, as each has a unique legacy that deserves to be shared.
 * it's world-famous, eg Eton College
 * some historical event took place there (protest, shooting, etc)
 * (though you might just want an article on the event?)
 * I don't think this really cuts it unless the event article needs a school link or multiple events have happened. Daniel Quinlan 02:40, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * people may want to know about good schools in a particular place (Schools in x place) Allowing the school page to stay could lead to a "Schools in x place" page where the information would eventually be .. at the risk of sounding Borg... assimilated.
 * Then put it into the city article. RickK 19:37, 22 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * And make every city article eventually several megabytes long? Even if such a ridiculous thing were done, the name of the school should be a redirect to the page where the content is, to enable people to link to it easily. -- Oliver P. 02:29, 23 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * If there are enough to make the page "several megabytes long" then most likely those schools all collectively belong to one single school district, which could then contain all the information on the schools separately from the city article. --Minesweeper 02:45, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * Any town article that gets too big can be split. School lists/entries can go off to a subarticle - Marshman
 * this is nutty and "best schools" is going to be a very POV and long non-encyclopedic discussion, this belongs in a different project
 * People may want to know about the schools with famous or important alumni
 * Then put it into the city article. RickK 19:37, 22 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * Verifiable and is something known to many 1000s of people who have attended the school.
 * Probably every school has something that makes it in someway notable. Angela
 * For universities (four year colleges, not community colleges), okay, but not high schools unless the school is rather notable like Phillips Exeter Academy.
 * Merging school pages with the city articles and redirecting sounds like an acceptable compromise. And yes, obviously these entries could get split back out if they got really big themselves or very numerous.  But at the same time, I could see how one might object to what this does to the city page itself.  anthony (see warning)
 * Why is a real educational establishment less important than a List of fictional elephants?207.189.98.44 17:27, 24 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * Increases the comprehensiveness of the encyclopedia.
 * Precedent. See Talk:Temasek Secondary School for a non-notable high school that has been kept. Andrewa 10:30, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * There is no reason to not have them. They will not be cluttering (ie. will not require disambiguation pages or get in editors ways): there can only be one St. Andrews Primary School, Winchester. Secondly, they are not offensive. Finally, they are not factually inacurate (one may assume). There is, therefore, no reason to not include them. --[[User:OldakQuill|Oldak Quill]] 19:15, 4 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * I think that Wikipedia is quickly becoming the MAIN source of enciclopedic information IN THE WORLD. I envision wikipedia getting a TOP 100 place in Alexa within the next 2 years.  Students all over the world are using Wikipedia and will use even more as an enciclopedic reference tool.  I believe that as time passes, more and more studends, and probably even the school teachers and/or administrators, will be involved in maintaining their own Wikipedia articles.  I don't think that the idea of making a Wikipedia article as a class project for English or Journalism is far fetched.  Once teachers all over the world start noticing Wikipedia as a powerful tool, I don't think that the "DELETE" community will be able to stop schools from becoming an integral part of Wikipedia.--AAAAA 18:28, 25 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * Why would we apply a different standard to cities than to schools? We don't require a town to be 'notable' to be included. Generally, we seem to think that cities and towns deserve coverage to capture an encyclopedic view of a region and its history. It seems that we have decided that the institution of 'town' is significant per se. I think a similar argument can be made for schools. They are lasting institutions of real meaning to their communities, understanding their history helps us make sense of how things are in a region today. Indeed, in many regions, citizens feel more loyalty to the history and identity of their high school (especially through high school sports) than to all other local institutions. Chrisvls 20:27, 5 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Reasons to delete

 * High schools are not important enough and number too many. This is comparable to writing an account of every Walmart or Public Library in the United States (or similar chains in other countries).  Yes, you can write about who does what at the school, who founded it, what it's named, but it's not encyclopedic. Daniel Quinlan 04:08, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * I take "encyclopedic" to mean something like "comprehensive". We must be using the words in different ways. --Camembert
 * Also, the import of these schools varies. While in your opinion, they are insignificant, in many areas, citizens feel more loyalty to the history and identity of their high school (especially through high school sports) than to other local institutions, such as their town. Chrisvls 20:32, 5 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * To expand on the observation above, how local do we get? So we list every high school, junior high school, and elementary school (approx. 90,000 public and thousands more private in the U.S. alone).  How about pre-schools?  Every local church?  Every local post office?  Every local police station or fire station?  How deep does this go?  We have an article for Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon.  So, why not have articles for Portland Fire Station #1, #2, #3, etc.?  Surely, we could give an address and equipment on hand for each, and on and on, but where does it stop? --Minesweeper 04:49, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * It stops once we reach a subject so small that a verifiable, neutral non-stub cannot be written about it. --Camembert
 * It is obvious that you yourself don't think that it will get to that point. Hemanshu 08:14, 24 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure if that's directed at me, but just to be clear: I know very well there are lots of subjects that it is impossible to write verifiable, neutral, non-stubs about - my house, for example, or the violin sonata I wrote a few years ago, or me - and when people try to write about these things, I have no objections at all to them being deleted. But I don't believe schools fall into that category. --Camembert
 * Personally I think covering every fire station, police station, high school, elementary school and church in the world should be part of the goal of creating a comprehensive encyclopedia. I see absolutely no reason not to include these things. anthony (see warning)
 * There are tens of thousands (at least) of schools in the world, many with the same name. I deleted Sunset High School the other day because it referred to a school in a particular city.  I know of another Sunset High School in a different city, and I'd hate to think of the disambiguations we'd have to do if we decided to list every Central High School or Boys' High School or Saint Mary's High School in the US, let alone in the world.  If it's necessary to discuss the school, put it into the article about the city in which the city is located.  BTW, I agree with the "world famous" or "historical event" reasons for keeping, above, but definitely not for the other reasons.  RickK 19:37, 22 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * There's nothing wrong with disambiguation pages. And if you're agreeing that having content about schools is all right, then you are quite free to move the content elsewhere and redirect the name of the school to wherever the content is. That isn't a question of deletion but of rearranging. (It wouldn't be sensible rearranging, though.) -- Oliver P. 02:29, 23 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * Disambiguation, if necessary, is easily done by putting the location of the school in the title (eg Sunset High School (Portland). --Camembert
 * If the number gets to be a problem we can fork after developing the first 10,000 articles, keeping those which we reference elsewhere here. We will need ways to indicate relative significance as part of preparing for 1.0 print edition. Jamesday 05:23, 23 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * People may feel inclined to create these en masse and we'll have 1000s of useless stubs saying nothing more than Gosbecks is a school in Colchester. Angela
 * We already have a policy against useless stubs. This has nothing to do with schools.207.189.98.44 00:09, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * What policy against stubs?
 * Creating them en masse would require bot approval. anthony (see warning)

 * Useful stubs. (Gosbecks is in Colchester? I didn't know that!) Stubs which will, inevitably, grow into longer articles over time. -- Oliver P. 02:29, 23 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * And this isn't, in any case, a problem (if problem it is) specific to schools - people might make lots of stubby article en masse about types of apple, or Swedish playwrights. --Camembert
 * Why is an article about the local high school more noteworthy than an article about the local Walmart? How about Upland Walmart in which I discuss the Walmart in Upland, California, including how it currently has a special on christmas candies? --Delirium 04:33, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)

 * I think we already have a policy on avoiding material that will date quickly. Perhaps that should be enforced more rigorously? Martin 18:49, 24 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * A school is a pivotal institution in many communities, plays a vital function and touches the lives of thousands of people. I doubt this is true of Walmart, but if it is, write it, as long as it is NPOV, non-trivial and non-stub, I won't oppose it.207.189.98.44 00:09, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * With secondary schools, the burden of proof should be on the writer to show that the topic is notable by the inclusion of suitable material when the article is first posted.

 * In the case of a topic that is intrinsically encyclopedic, there is some value in posting a stub as a placeholder and a stimulus to get the ball rolling. The person posting the stub may have good reason for believing that the topic is encyclopedic, but not have the depth of knowledge to write a good article, and may post a stub in hopes of stimulating some other person to carry the task on.

 * But in the case of a high school, the first poster is likely to know more about the topic than anyone else who is going to come along for some time. If he knows something interesting about the school, he should say it right off the bat. If it's just the school's location and slogan, the contributor should be politely informed that the article is not up to Wikipedia standards and has been deleted, and that he is welcome to resubmit it if he can add enough to it to justify its inclusion.

 * Not very much should be needed—an alum or two of encyclopedic notability; notable architecture (especially if a photo is included); any connection with a significant news event. But there should be something, and it should be present in the article as initially inserted.

 * Bare stubs that include nothing genuinely interesting or noteworthy that would distinguish the school from thousands of others should be deleted. It's not as if it is much of a burden to reinsert an improved version later. Dpbsmith 22:24, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)

 * We don't delete articles just because they are stubs (stubs get expanded, even though it may take weeks, months or years), and just because you don't find something interesting, doesn't mean nobody else will. As I've said elsewhere on the page, there is little to distinguish hundreds of 19th century novelists, but I wouldn't argue for their deletion because of that. --Camembert

merge/redirect/disambiguate with city or town?
Perhaps we should merge with the nearest place? Eg, Malvern Girl's School could be merged and redirected to Malvern. And we could disambiguate some of the common school names. I think this kind of approach would be better than deletion. Some schools should have their own articles, of course. Martin 02:33, 23 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * Merging is better than deletion, but not ideal, in my opinion. If all you have to say about a school is "X is a school in Y", then yes, there's not a lot of point in making a specific article to say it, but beyond that, why not give them their own page? Seems to me one could just as easily argue "we shouldn't have articles on cities. Merge the content into the article on the county they are in." --Camembert

 * I guess I'm assuming that for most schools, there won't be more than a few K of verifiable, neutral, informative content. Eton would be an exception to that, of course. Martin 02:59, 23 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * A few K is quite a lot, isn't it? :) But OK, I don't have a big problem with merging content into a larger article if there's very little content to merge (but any school with a fair amount written about it (whatever a "fair amount" might be - more than a couple of paragraphs, say) - not just "obvious" cases like Eton - should have its own article as far as I'm concerned). --Camembert

 * The amount of content generatable about many topics can be almost endless. That's however not a reason to keep articles on any topic.  Most high schools are virtually undistinguishable from hundreds of other similar schools because there are so many.  Notable schools like Eton and Exeter can have their own article (and do), but merging is just silly, the content is equally unimportant in town pages aside from perhaps the name of the school and a link to the school page.  Daniel Quinlan 04:34, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)

I'm sorry, but I cannot understand why, if somebody writes a neutral, verifiable article on a school, people want to delete it. It's not important enough?! Who to? You? The students? Particle physics isn't important to me, lets delete that. Most 19th century novelists are virtually undistinguishable from hundreds of other similar novelists because there are so many. Lets scrap pages on them as well then. There is no reason to delete verifiable, neutral, non-stub articles. And yes, if you really want to write about branches of Walmart, do it. You'd be wasting your time, of course, but it's fine by me. --Camembert
 * Strongly agree - there is no harm in having these (non-stub, NPOV) articles about real places that are potentially important to thousands of people. It's ridiculous to try to delete them.207.189.98.44 00:07, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * I have already started some school merges with Victoria, British Columbia and Ottawa-Carleton district school board. T h e St ev e  08:26, Jan 21, 2005 (UTC)

Proposed "clear" thresholds
While some aspects of schools are somewhat controversial, there seems to be a significant prospect of broad agreement in some cases. Please indicate your agreement or otherwise in a numbered opinion poll.

 * So far the message seems to be that it's not the significance which is the fundamental issue here. Not surprising. Jamesday 19:13, 24 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * 1) We mention the school in another article, for some reasonably significant reason, like the biography of an actor, politician or scientist who merits inclusion, not solely "list of all schools in this town, so all of them merit an article".
 * 2) encourage creation
 * 3) 207.189.98.44
 * 4) Angela (iff >100 words and not just raw data)
 * 5) anthony (see warning)
 * 6) TB
 * 7) [[User:OldakQuill|Oldak Quill]]
 * 8) [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (talk)]]
 * 9) Guanaco 00:03, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 10) Quintucket 18:15, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 11) Posiduck 04:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 12) keep if created, don't encourage creation
 * 13) Jamesday
 * 14) Martin
 * 15) theresa knott
 * 16) TMC1221
 * 17) Gentgeen
 * 18) Penfold
 * 19) Guaka
 * 20) Dpbsmith
 * 21)     ALargeElk | Talk
 * 22) Ambivalenthysteria
 * 23) AAAAA
 * 24) Johnleemk | Talk 13:00, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 25) Joe D (t)
 * 26) Bovlb 06:50, 2005 Mar 29 (UTC)
 * 27) Neonumbers 12:05, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 28) Marshman 18:06, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 29) delete if created, discourage creation
 * 30) RickK
 * 31) Daniel Quinlan
 * 32) Adam Bishop
 * 33) Maximus Rex
 * 34) Catherine
 * 35) Improv
 * 36) Noisy | Talk

 * 1) The school itself is notable, perhaps in the top ten of some category (biggest or smallest few, best academic record in a region; or best few in a moderately large city).
 * 2) encourage creation
 * 3) Jamesday
 * 4) Martin
 * 5) theresa knott
 * 6) 207.189.98.44
 * 7) Angela (iff >100 words and not just raw data)
 * 8) TMC1221
 * 9) Gentgeen
 * 10) Penfold
 * 11) Guaka
 * 12) Catherine 22:00, 27 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * 13) anthony (see warning)
 * 14) Ambivalenthysteria 09:08, 17 Jun 2004 (UTC)
 * 15) TB
 * 16) [[User:OldakQuill|Oldak Quill]] 19:35, 4 Jul 2004
 * 17) [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (talk)]]
 * 18) Johnleemk | Talk 13:00, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 19) Guanaco 00:03, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 20) Quintucket 18:15, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 21) Joe D (t)
 * 22) Posiduck 04:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 23) Bovlb 06:50, 2005 Mar 29 (UTC)
 * 24) Neonumbers 12:05, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 25) keep if created, don't encourage creation
 * 26) If truely somehow significant Marshman
 * 27) Dpbsmith 22:35, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * 28)     ALargeElk | Talk
 * 29) AAAAA
 * 30) Noisy | Talk
 * 31) Marshman 18:06, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 32) delete if created, discourage creation
 * 33) "best" is entirely POV.  RickK
 * 34) I think being exceptionally well known is a better indicator.  Other than local schools, I can name Eton and Exeter off the top of my head.  Daniel Quinlan 04:39, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * 35) Adam Bishop 00:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * 36) Maximus Rex
 * 37) The examples given for notability are poor. Improv 16:16, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)

 * 1) The school is notable if only because more than one Wikipedia contributor of more than 10 articles, images or other content is from it (mainly so we do encourage schools to participate in this project):
 * 2) encourage creation
 * 3) 207.189.98.44
 * 4) Catherine 22:00, 27 Feb 2004 (UTC)  (iff >100 words and not just raw data)
 * 5) anthony (see warning)
 * 6) TB
 * 7) [[User:OldakQuill|Oldak Quill]] 19:35, 4 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * 8) Guanaco 00:03, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 9) Bovlb 06:50, 2005 Mar 29 (UTC)
 * 10) keep if created, don't encourage creation
 * 11) Posiduck 04:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC) (This is a misleading vote; I encourage the creation of all high school pages; I just do not support their creation for this stated reason.
 * 12) Jamesday
 * 13) Martin (perhaps, if it's ten or more contributors on a school project, but suggest better alternatives)
 * 14) Angela (iff >100 words and not just raw data)
 * 15) Guaka
 * 16) Penfold
 * 17)     ALargeElk | Talk
 * 18) Ambivalenthysteria 09:08, 17 Jun 2004 (UTC)
 * 19) [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (talk)]]
 * 20) AAAAA
 * 21) Don't encourage creation based on number of Wikipedia users fom school, do so based on content. --Quintucket 18:15, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 22) Joe D (t)
 * 23) Marshman 18:06, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 24) delete if created, discourage creation
 * 25) Disagree vociferously.  Totally a vanity project.  RickK 04:18, 23 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * 26) Horrible idea.  Daniel Quinlan 04:39, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * 27) Adam Bishop 00:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * 28) Maximus Rex
 * 29) TMC1221
 * 30) Gentgeen
 * 31) Dpbsmith 22:35, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * 32) Vanity. Improv 16:16, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * 33) Noisy | Talk
 * 34) Johnleemk | Talk 13:00, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 35) Worst idea ever. Isomorphic 09:40, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * 36) Neonumbers 12:05, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * 1) Less than 30 pupils, none of whom are noteworthy and nothing otherwise noteworthy about the school.
 * 2) encourage creation
 * 3) anthony (see warning)
 * 4) [[User:OldakQuill|Oldak Quill]] 19:35, 4 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * 5) Guanaco 00:03, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 6) I know someone who's been principle of two tiny schools, and these schools tend to be fairly interesting.--Quintucket 18:15, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 7) Posiduck 04:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 8) keep if created, don't encourage creation
 * 9) 207.189.98.44
 * 10) Gentgeen
 * 11) Penfold
 * 12) Guaka
 * 13) Catherine 22:00, 27 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * 14)     ALargeElk | Talk
 * 15) Ambivalenthysteria 09:08, 17 Jun 2004 (UTC)
 * 16) AAAAA
 * 17) Joe D (t)
 * 18) Bovlb 06:50, 2005 Mar 29 (UTC)
 * 19) Marshman 18:06, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 20) delete if created, discourage creation
 * 21) Martin (or redirect to local education authority or town)
 * 22) Jamesday (agree with Martin - must redirect all of these to inhibit recreation)
 * 23) RickK
 * 24) Daniel Quinlan 04:39, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * 25) Adam Bishop 00:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * 26) theresa knott
 * 27) Maximus Rex
 * 28) Angela
 * 29) TMC1221
 * 30) Dpbsmith 22:35, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * 31) TB
 * 32) Improv 16:16, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * 33) [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (talk)]]
 * 34) Noisy | Talk
 * 35) Johnleemk | Talk 13:00, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 36) Isomorphic 09:40, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * 37) Neonumbers 12:05, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * 1) A school for those aged 5 or less years old, none of whom are noteworthy and nothing otherwise noteworthy about the school.
 * 2) encourage creation
 * 3) anthony (see warning)
 * 4) [[User:OldakQuill|Oldak Quill]] 19:35, 4 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * 5) Guanaco 00:03, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 6) Posiduck 04:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 7) keep if created, don't encourage creation
 * 8) 207.189.98.44
 * 9) Gentgeen
 * 10) Penfold
 * 11) Guaka
 * 12)     ALargeElk | Talk
 * 13) AAAAA
 * 14) Johnleemk | Talk 13:00, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 15) --Quintucket 18:15, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 16) Bovlb 06:50, 2005 Mar 29 (UTC)
 * 17) Marshman 18:06, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 18) delete if created, discourage creation
 * 19) Martin (or redirect to local education authority or town)
 * 20) Jamesday
 * 21) RickK
 * 22) Daniel Quinlan 04:39, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * 23) Adam Bishop 00:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * 24) theresa knott
 * 25) Maximus Rex
 * 26) Angela
 * 27) TMC1221
 * 28) Catherine 22:00, 27 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * 29) Dpbsmith 22:35, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * 30) TB
 * 31) Improv 16:16, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * 32) [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (talk)]]
 * 33) Noisy | Talk
 * 34) Joe D (t)
 * 35) Isomorphic 09:40, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * 36) Neonumbers 12:05, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * 1) Bulk automated entry of schools primarily for those aged 11 or younger (chosen because it's about the transition point from elementary to "high" schools of various sorts).
 * 2) encourage creation
 * 3) keep if created, don't encourage creation
 * 4) anthony (see warning)
 * 5) [[User:OldakQuill|Oldak Quill]] 19:35, 4 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * 6) Guanaco 00:03, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 7) Quintucket 18:15, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 8) Posiduck 04:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 9) delete if created, discourage creation
 * 10) Martin (see bots)
 * 11) Jamesday
 * 12) RickK
 * 13) Daniel Quinlan 04:39, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * 14) 207.189.98.44
 * 15) Adam Bishop 00:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * 16) theresa knott
 * 17) Maximus Rex
 * 18) Angela
 * 19) TMC1221
 * 20) Marshman
 * 21) Gentgeen
 * 22) Penfold
 * 23) Catherine 22:00, 27 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * 24) Dpbsmith 22:35, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * 25)     ALargeElk | Talk
 * 26) TB
 * 27) Improv 16:16, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * 28) [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (talk)]]
 * 29) AAAAA
 * 30) Noisy | Talk
 * 31) Johnleemk | Talk 13:00, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 32) And encourage physical violence against anyone who tries it ;-) Isomorphic 09:40, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * 33) Bovlb 06:50, 2005 Mar 29 (UTC)
 * 34) Neonumbers 12:05, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * 1) Bulk automated entry of schools primarily for those aged 16 or younger (chosen because it's been the high school leaving age in at least some industrialized countries and this threshold is intended not to exclude bulk entry of universities).
 * 2) encourage creation
 * 3) [[User:OldakQuill|Oldak Quill]] 19:35, 4 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * 4) [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (talk)]]
 * 5) Quintucket 18:15, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 6) keep if created, don't encourage creation
 * 7) Posiduck 04:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 8) anthony (see warning)
 * 9) TB
 * 10) Guanaco 00:03, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 11) Joe D (t)
 * 12) Marshman 18:06, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 13) delete if created, discourage creation
 * 14) Martin (see bots)
 * 15) Jamesday
 * 16) RickK
 * 17) Daniel Quinlan 04:39, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * 18) 207.189.98.44
 * 19) Adam Bishop 00:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * 20) theresa knott
 * 21) Maximus Rex
 * 22) Angela
 * 23) TMC1221
 * 24) Gentgeen
 * 25) Penfold
 * 26) Catherine 22:00, 27 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * 27) Dpbsmith 22:35, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * 28)     ALargeElk | Talk
 * 29) Improv 16:16, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * 30) AAAAA
 * 31) Noisy | Talk
 * 32) Johnleemk | Talk 13:00, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 33) Isomorphic 09:40, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * 34) Bovlb 06:50, 2005 Mar 29 (UTC)
 * 35) Neonumbers 12:05, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * 1) School where only one or two notable people (with articles) attended, or the child of a celebrity attends or attended. Having the luck of a future celebrity attending the school is not anything special, mentioning the name (without a link) in the celebrity article is sufficient.
 * 2) encourage creation
 * 3) 207.189.98.44
 * 4) Angela (iff >100 words, not just raw data and properly famous as Martin says below)
 * 5) Penfold
 * 6) Guaka
 * 7) anthony (see warning)
 * 8) [[User:OldakQuill|Oldak Quill]] 19:35, 4 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * 9) Guanaco 00:03, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 10) Posiduck 04:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 11) keep if created, don't encourage creation
 * 12) Jamesday
 * 13) Martin (depends on the people, though - a president is one thing, a "star" of Big Brother is another)
 * 14) theresa knott
 * 15) TMC1221
 * 16) Gentgeen
 * 17) Catherine 22:00, 27 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * 18) Dpbsmith 22:35, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * 19)     ALargeElk | Talk
 * 20) TB
 * 21) [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (talk)]]
 * 22) AAAAA
 * 23) Johnleemk | Talk 13:00, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 24) What makes schools interesting is the school, not who came from it.--Quintucket 18:15, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 25) Joe D (t)
 * 26) Bovlb 06:50, 2005 Mar 29 (UTC)
 * 27) Marshman 18:06, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 28) delete if created, discourage creation
 * 29) Daniel Quinlan 04:43, Nov 23, 2003 (UTC)
 * 30) Adam Bishop 00:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * 31) Maximus Rex
 * 32) Ambivalenthysteria 09:08, 17 Jun 2004 (UTC)
 * 33) Improv 16:16, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * 34) Noisy | Talk
 * 35) Celebrities may be notable, but their touch does not confer notability. Isomorphic 09:40, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * 36) Neonumbers 12:05, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * 1) Any school about which we can write a non-trivial, non-stub, NPOV article.
 * 2) encourage creation
 * 3) 207.189.98.44 00:12, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * 4) theresa knott non-trivial articles should always be encouraged
 * 5) Camembert 20:49, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC) - this is all that matters (it should also be verifiable, of course). The above categories (apart from the bot ones, on which we already have a policy) are completely irrelevant in my view.
 * 6) Angela (iff >100 words and not just raw data)
 * 7) Gentgeen
 * 8) Penfold
 * 9) Imran
 * 10) Guaka
 * 11) Andres
 * 12) Catherine 22:00, 27 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * 13) anthony (see warning)
 * 14) Ambivalenthysteria 09:08, 17 Jun 2004 (UTC)
 * 15) Dpbsmith 22:35, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * 16) TB
 * 17) [[User:OldakQuill|Oldak Quill]] 19:35, 4 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * 18) We need safeguards to prevent vanity though. Improv 16:16, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)
 * 19) [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (talk)]]
 * 20) Guanaco 00:03, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 21) Quintucket 18:15, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 22) Joe D (t)
 * 23) Posiduck 04:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * 24) Bovlb 06:50, 2005 Mar 29 (UTC)
 * 25) Neonumbers 12:05, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 26) Zantastik 07:08, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 27) keep if created, don't encourage creation
 * 28) Jamesday
 * 29) Martin (if informative and verifiable too)
 * 30) TMC1221
 * 31) Johnleemk | Talk 09:19, 15 Jun 2004 (UTC) - I'd like to know what constitutes "non-trivial" though. Any Wikipedia contributor could theoretically write a non-trivial article about their own school. Personally, though, I find the concept of allowing people to write articles about non-famous schools ridiculous, but if it's allowed, more power to me, the individual contributor, then. =)
 * 32)     ALargeElk | Talk
 * 33) AAAAA
 * 34) Marshman 18:06, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * 35) delete if created, don't encourage creation
 * 36) Maximus Rex
 * 37) Noisy | Talk
 * 38) Unless by "non-trivial" we mean "establishing some form of notability", then this is meaningless.  I could write a lengthy, NPOV description of my bedroom, but it would not be an encyclopedia article. Isomorphic 09:40, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Discussion
I'm not very clear on the difference in practical terms between "encourage creation" and "don't encourage creation". I put myself under "encourage" because if a kid asked me "is it OK to write an article about my school?" I'd say "yes", but I could've said "don't encourage" because, well, I'm not going to go around saying to people "do write about your school, won't you". Is there any difference between the two in practice, or is it just symbolic? --Camembert

Examples of encouraging creation:
 * 1) If such an article is created, say thanks, well done, could you do some more?
 * 2) Create lots of red links to future articles
 * 3) Place articles on requested articles
 * 4) Do so yourself (ModelDesiredBehavior)
 * 5) Tell people yes when they ask you if it would be appropriate to create such an article.
 * 6) Don't make a huge fuss over such articles and/or speculate whether they will cause the death of Wikipedia
 * 7) * ;-) <-- for the humour-impaired
 * 8) Start a schools WikiProject

Martin 19:57, 26 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * OK, thanks. I'm not sure whether I'm an "encourage" or a "don't" any more, but I'm sure it's not important enough to worry about. --Camembert

 * As you say, it's probably largely symbolic. For the purposes of deletion policy, the two numbers can be added together. Martin 21:24, 26 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Verifiability
I believe the main problem with this is that primary and secondary schools are inherently local, ephemeral phenomena in nearly all cases. There are no independent, widely available sources that can be used to check facts. Indeed, there are usually no independent sources available locally to check facts, short of a visit to the school itself or interviews with faculty, staff, or students. A high school yearbook may provide some information, but most primary schools don't publish a yearbook. Yearbook topics tend to be particularly ephemeral and do not include most of the facts that might make an article informative, such as year of founding, area served, funding, comparison to other schools.

I would like to see a perfect article containing verifiable information about a school that is not unusually notable. I don't think such an article can be written.

UninvitedCompany 16:53, 18 May 2004 (UTC)

Merging with parent (usually city) articles
I believe that merging school articles with the most logical geographic article makes the most since in over 90% of the cases.

Schools are usually local structures that are best understood in the context of the area they serve. A school such as Shattuck St. Mary's School that serves a non-local student body might be an exception, as would an unusually notable school such as Columbine High School.

However, exceptional cases aside, a photo and a paragraph or two of summary information about local schools adds to the locality article. Usually that's about all there is to say that doesn't date quickly and that is genuinely informative.

UninvitedCompany 16:53, 18 May 2004 (UTC)

I would like to suggest a look at the Brecksville, Ohio article improvements I've made as an example of what I think is appropriate level of detail (minimal) for schools. --Improv 16:16, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Take a look at this diff, then see if your mind changes on deleting high schools

 * Moanalua High School (02:44, May 18, 2004):
 * Moanalua High School (Currently):
 * [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (talk)]] 05:36, Sep 29, 2004 (UTC)
 * I think thats a beautiful piece of work, an a wonderful representation of what Wikipedia articles are. They begin as stubs, and become better with time.    — siro  χ  o  12:34, Oct 30, 2004 (UTC)

New proposal about school evaluation and deletion
Please see School articles needing evaluation to discuss a new proposal. — siro χ  o  13:56, Oct 30, 2004 (UTC)

title: Wikipedia:Deletion policy/schools


text:
Westlife

Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 after 14 years and later reunited in 2018.

In Ireland, the group has 11 number-one albums, 16 number-one singles, and 34 top-fifty singles. They have sold over 55 million records and are holders of four Guinness World Records. Westlife has received numerous accolades including one World Music Award, two Brit Awards, four MTV Awards, and four Record of the Year Awards.

The group has released twelve studio albums: four as a five-piece and eight as a four-piece. They rose to fame with their debut international self-titled studio album, Westlife (1999). It was followed by Coast to Coast (2000), World of Our Own (2001), and Turnaround (2003). Following the departure of McFadden, the group released the cover albums ...Allow Us to Be Frank (2004) and The Love Album (2006), the albums Face to Face (2005), Back Home (2007), Where We Are (2009), and Gravity (2010), followed by an eight-year split.

After reforming in 2018, the quartet released the studio albums Spectrum (2019) and Wild Dreams (2021).

Formation and early years (1997–1998)
Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, and Shane Filan, all schoolmates at Summerhill College in Sligo, Ireland, participated in a school production of Grease with fellow Sligo men Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron, and Michael Garrett. The sextet formed a pop vocal group called Six as One in 1997, which they later renamed IOYOU. The group, managed by choreographer Mary McDonagh and two other informal managers, released a single titled "Together Girl Forever" under Sound Records. McDonagh first encountered Egan as a six-year-old student at her weekly dance classes and came to know Filan and Feehily in their early teens as they starred in shows such as Oliver! and Godspell for Sligo Fun Company. Louis Walsh, the manager of fellow Irish boy band Boyzone, came to know the group after Filan's mother Mae contacted him, but the group failed to secure a BMG record deal with Simon Cowell. Cowell told Walsh: "You are going to have to fire at least three of them. They have great voices, but they are the ugliest band I have ever seen in my life." Lacey, Keighron, and Garrett were told they would not be part of the new group, and auditions were held in Dublin where Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden were recruited.

The new group, formed on 3 July 1998, was originally named Westside, but as another band was already using that name, the group was renamed Westlife. They signed a four-million-pound record deal with RCA Records. Westlife's first big break came in 1998 when they opened for Boyzone and Backstreet Boys' concerts in Dublin. Boyzone singer Ronan Keating was brought in to co-manage the group with Louis Walsh. Their first live television performance as a group was on the Irish TV series The Late Late Show broadcast on 13 November 1998. They performed "Flying Without Wings".

Westlife, Coast to Coast and World of Our Own (1999–2001)
In April 1999, the group released their first single, “Swear It Again", which immediately topped the charts in Ireland and in the UK for two weeks. It was the biggest-selling single in the first week by a debut artist. Their second single, "If I Let You Go" was released in August 1999, which made them the first boy band to hit No. 1 with their first two singles. Their third single was "Flying Without Wings" (their first 'Record of the Year' and their third No. 1 single), released in October of the same year. "Flying Without Wings" was also included on the soundtrack of the Warner Brothers film, Pokémon: The Movie 2000. Their first album, simply titled Westlife, was released in November 1999 and went to No. 2 in the UK and No. 1 in Ireland. The album was the biggest chart dropper on the Top 40 in UK music history when in its 58th week on the charts it leaped from No. 79 to No. 3 before falling to No. 37 the following week. In Scotland, the album debuted at number 6 in 1999 but subsequently peaked at number one year later in 2001.

In December 1999, a fourth single was released, the double a-side "I Have A Dream"/"Seasons in the Sun". It was the 1999 UK Christmas number-one single and their fourth No. 1 single. They are one of only five acts to achieve four number ones in the UK Singles Chart in one calendar year. The fifth and final single from the album, "Fool Again", also peaked at No. 1. With this, they became the only male band to have every single release from an album that reached No. 1 in the UK. Afterward, Westlife signed to Arista Records for the North American release of their debut. "Swear It Again" peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. On 1 July 2000, they were honored as Freemen of the Borough of Sligo.

Coast to Coast, their second album, was released a year later and was their first No. 1 UK album, beating the Spice Girls' Forever album by a large margin; the chart battle was widely reported by British media. It became the country's 4th biggest-selling album of 2000. This is their second No. 1 album in Ireland. The album was preceded by the duet with Mariah Carey "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" and the original song "My Love" (their second Record of the Year award). Both singles reached No. 1 on the UK charts, their sixth and seventh number ones respectively. With this, Westlife broke the record of the most consecutive No. 1 singles in the UK with their first seven singles. However, in December 2000, their eighth single "What Makes a Man", debuted at No. 2, breaking their string of consecutive number ones. The single "My Love" was controversially used by the Central Intelligence Agency as part of a torture program in Afghanistan. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, "the music pounded constantly as part of a scheme to assault prisoners' senses".

Outside the UK and Ireland, they gained chart success with "I Lay My Love on You" and "When You're Looking Like That". They were included in the top ten earners list of all acts in the UK and Ireland and sold over 2.5 million units in the Asia Pacific region. In February 2001, they began their first world tour, "Where Dreams Come True Tour". A recording of a concert from the tour live from Dublin was released on 19 November 2001.

On 12 November 2001, Westlife released their third album World of Our Own, peaking at No. 1 in the UK and Ireland. "Uptown Girl" (their first single to be on the List of million-selling singles in the United Kingdom), "Queen of My Heart" and "World of Our Own" were released as singles, all of which peaked at No. 1 in the UK. "Bop Bop Baby" was also released as a single and peaked at No. 5 in the UK. In 2002, Westlife went on their second world tour, the World of Our Own Tour. By the end of the year, IRMA awarded the band for 1 million units sold in Ireland. The group sold more than 12 million records in a span of three years.

Unbreakable, Turnaround, and McFadden's departure (2002–2004)
Westlife released their eleventh UK No. 1 single, "Unbreakable" in 2002. Amidst rumors of a split, Westlife released their first greatest hits album in November of that same year titled Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1, which peaked at No. 1 in the UK and Ireland. During this time, Westlife achieved a Guinness World Record for most public appearances by a pop group in 36 hours. The band made stop-offs in five different cities (Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, London, and Manchester) to promote their then-new album. The release was followed by the double A-side single "Tonight"/"Miss You Nights", which debuted at No. 3 in the UK and No. 1 in Ireland. Following this release, the group premiered a TV documentary titled "Wild Westlife". It was directed by Iain MacDonald and features their daily life as musicians and their tour experiences. It was aired on BBC Choice. In 2003, Westlife went on their third world tour, the Unbreakable Tour. A recording of a concert from the tour in Manchester was released in November 2003.

In September 2003, Westlife released "Hey Whatever", which peaked at No. 4 in the UK. Their fourth studio album, Turnaround, was released in November 2003, earning the group another No. 1 album in the UK and Ireland. "Mandy", was released a week before the album and became the band's twelfth No. 1 single. It also won them their third Record of the Year award. "Mandy" is the single with the longest leap to the top (from No. 200 to No. 1) in UK music history. "Obvious" was released as the final single from the album, charting at No. 3.

On 9 March 2004, just three weeks before embarking on their fourth world tour, McFadden left the group, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. McFadden's final public performance as part of Westlife was at Newcastle upon Tyne's Powerhouse nightclub on 27 February 2004. He subsequently began a solo career, and reverted the spelling of his first name back to its original 'Brian'.

Less than a month after McFadden's departure, the group began their Turnaround Tour. A recording of a concert from the Turnaround Tour, live from Stockholm, Sweden, was released in November 2004.

Face to Face, Back Home, and cover albums (2004–2008)
In September 2004, they performed at the World Music Awards, where they were recognized as the Best Irish Act of that year. They then released a Rat Pack-inspired album, their fifth album ...Allow Us to Be Frank, which peaked at number 3. No singles from this album were released in the UK, but the track "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" had a music video produced and was released as a physical single in other European countries. "Smile" and "Fly Me to the Moon" also had music videos produced. Prior to the release of the ...Allow Us to Be Frank album, Westlife scouted for "the perfect fan" to help promote the album. After X Factor-style auditions, they found Joanne Hindley, who recorded "The Way You Look Tonight" with the group. A television program documenting this process, She's The One, was presented by Kate Thornton. Westlife embarked on "The Number Ones Tour" in early 2005. A recording of a concert from the tour, live from Sheffield, was released in November 2005.

In October 2005, Westlife released the single "You Raise Me Up", which became their thirteenth number 1 single. It was taken from their sixth album Face to Face which also peaked at No. 1 in the UK. "You Raise Me Up" was awarded as their fourth Record of the Year in the UK. In December of that year, the group released "When You Tell Me That You Love Me", a duet with Diana Ross, as the second single. It debuted and peaked at No. 2. The third single from the album, "Amazing", peaked at No. 4. Westlife embarked on the "Face to Face Tour", traveling extensively to the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Asia. The group performed 32 shows and recorded 238,718 attendances. A recording of a concert from the tour, live from Wembley Arena, was released in November 2006.

In late 2006, Westlife signed a new five-album deal with Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Their seventh album, The Love Album was a concept album that consisted of popular love song covers. The album debuted at No. 1 in both the UK and Ireland. It was the top-selling album of 2006 in Ireland. The only single from The Love Album, "The Rose", became their 14th UK No. 1 single. Westlife kicked off their eighth world tour, "The Love Tour", in Perth, Australia. The group then went on to other Australian cities before moving on to South Africa, the UK, and Ireland. The tour grossed £1,031,033.

On 5 November 2007, Westlife released their eighth album, Back Home, which contained nine new original songs and three cover songs. The album debuted at No. 1 in the UK and Ireland. It was also 2007's fifth biggest-selling album in the UK. The first single released from the album was "Home", which peaked at No. 3 in the UK. "Us Against the World" was released as the second single and "Something Right" became the third single in Europe and the Asia Pacific region. On 15 December 2007, they premiered a two-hour show called The Westlife Show where they performed 10 of their songs, hosted by Holly Willoughby. They embarked on the Back Home Tour on 25 February 2008. This tour marked the first time that the group had traveled and performed in New Zealand, performing four sold-out shows in Auckland, Wellington, New Plymouth, and Christchurch. Westlife were the seventh top touring act of 2008.

10th anniversary, Where We Are, and Gravity (2008–2010)
To mark their tenth year in music, Westlife staged the sold-out concert 10 Years of Westlife in Croke Park on 1 June 2008. The group announced that they would be going on hiatus for a year after their Back Home Tour. 10 Years of Westlife – Live at Croke Park Stadium was released on 24 November 2008 and went straight to No. 1 on the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Hong Kong, and New Zealand Music DVD charts. On 13 December 2008, while on hiatus, Westlife made an unexpected appearance during that year's X Factor final where they performed "Flying Without Wings" with runners-up JLS. In the last week of January 2009, a DVD titled The Karaoke Collection was released. On 18 March 2009, Westlife won the Best Irish Pop Act at the 2009 Meteor Awards for the ninth consecutive time.

Their tenth album, Where We Are, was released on 30 November 2009 in the UK and peaked at No. 2 on both Irish and UK Albums Charts. The lead single, "What About Now", was released on 23 October 2009 and peaked at No. 2 on both Irish and UK Singles Charts. The tour in support of this album was "The Where We Are Tour". A recording of a concert from the tour, live from London, was released in November 2010. They were part of the Haiti charity single in early 2010 with "Everybody Hurts", which was organized by Cowell. The single peaked at No. 1 on both Irish and UK Singles Charts. That year, the Guinness Book of World Records announced that Westlife were the top-selling album group of the 21st century with 10.74 million albums sold in the UK alone.

On 14 November 2010, the single "Safe" was released. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 21 November at No. 10. The album Gravity was released on 22 November 2010. It was entirely produced by John Shanks. The album went to No. 1 in Ireland and No. 3 in the UK. This is their ninth No. 1 in Ireland; this album made Westlife one of the few musical acts to have number-one albums in three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s) in their home country.

Greatest Hits and split (2011–2012)
In March 2011, they began their eleventh major concert tour, the Gravity Tour. This tour marked the first time the group traveled to Oman, Namibia, Guangzhou, and Vietnam for concerts. As of 2011, the group were the longest reigning band and second longest reigning number one music act in the 21st century in UK. On 14 March 2011, Westlife confirmed that they had left Cowell after 13 years and his record label Syco Music after nine years. Byrne said of Cowell: "he got so busy [...] and we needed someone who was on it all the time."

After going back to RCA Records full-time for a one-year album contract, they announced their Greatest Hits album would be released on 21 November 2011. It debuted at No. 1 in Ireland and No. 4 in the UK. The first single "Lighthouse" was released in November 2011. A follow-up promotional single "Beautiful World" was released the same month. The Greatest Hits Tour was announced on 18 October 2011, with dates in the UK confirmed for May 2012. Stereoboard reported that the tour sold out within minutes. The farewell tour consisted of eight dates in China and 33 in the UK and Ireland; in total, the band sold 489,694 tickets from the tour. On 19 October 2011, Westlife officially announced they were splitting following the tour.

ITV commissioned a one-off music event titled Westlife: For the Last Time. Another show, The Westlife Show: Live, was broadcast on 1 November 2011. Following this, they were guests on The Late Late Show. They were honored at that time by the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) with four specially commissioned bar stools to mark 49 performances at the venue for over 380,000 fans, selling more tickets than any other act. The band had their final concert on 23 June 2012 at Croke Park Stadium in Ireland. The 82,300 capacity show was sold out in 4 minutes. Due to this popular demand, an extra date was added at Croke Park on 22 June 2012, which also sold out. Combined, there was a total of 187,808 spectators on both nights, exceeding the capacity of the stadium. Their last concert was screened live in more than 300 cinemas in the United Kingdom, and 200 cinemas worldwide. They released a DVD of the show, which went to number 1 in both UK and Irish charts. That year they were the 34th top-grossing tour act with earnings of $35.2 million (€27 million). Following the split, all four members released albums and singles individually.

Reunion, Spectrum, and tour (2018–2020)
On 23 September 2018, it was reported that the group was signed to Universal Music Group for a new five-year album and tour deal with Virgin EMI Records. On 3 October 2018, the group formally announced that they were working on new music. McFadden was not involved in the reformation, saying in an interview with Closer Magazine, "I only met the guys when I joined the band and have no regrets about leaving." On 19 December 2018, Egan and Feehily posted a picture of the group's first rehearsals together in six years.

"Hello My Love", their first single since 2011 was released on 10 January 2019. Their first UK performance in seven years and of the single was on The Graham Norton Show on 11 January 2019. They also performed the single on the 24th National Television Awards on 22 January 2019. Their first Irish performance and television appearance together was on the final night of Dancing With the Stars Ireland on 24 March 2019. The single peaked at number 13 in the UK and reached number two in Ireland and Scotland. The single was certified Gold in the UK seven months after its premiere. In Ireland, it has a 2× Platinum certification.

Their eleventh studio album Spectrum was released on 15 November 2019. The album peaked at number one in Ireland, Scotland, and the UK. It was certified Gold in the UK and Platinum in Ireland. The second single from the album was "Better Man". It reached number two on the UK Singles Sales Chart and Scottish Singles Chart. The third single, "Dynamite", was released on 5 July 2019. The fourth single from the album, "My Blood", was released on 25 October 2019. "My Blood" peaked at number ninety-six on the UK Singles Chart and at number six on the Scottish Singles Chart. It also peaked at number forty-six in the Irish Singles Chart.

On 17 October 2018, Westlife announced The Twenty Tour and said: "Every country that wants to see Westlife will see us at some point. We won't step away from this until we've managed to tour the world." The second day of the tour in Croke Park had a live film broadcast in selected cinemas on 6 July 2019. This was released in a video album in different formats on 13 March 2020. It reached number 1 in the UK and Ireland and stayed at the top spot for more than thirty weeks on their official charts.

On 13 September 2019, they announced the Stadiums in the Summer Tour which was scheduled to begin the following year. However, it was postponed until 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wild Dreams (2021–2023)

On 17 March 2021, they formally announced that they signed a new album deal through Warner Music UK and East West Records.

They performed on a BBC Radio 2 event on Ulster Hall, Belfast on 25 August 2021 that was broadcast on 10 September 2021.

"Starlight", the lead single from their twelfth studio album, was released on 14 October 2021. The album, Wild Dreams, was released on 26 November 2021.

On 29 October 2021, a new schedule for their renamed fourteenth concert tour, The Wild Dreams Tour, was released. It included fourteen new dates and venues, with eight more dates added later. They announced that their Wembley Stadium date would be streamed live in various cinemas in Europe. On 17 December 2021, a Westlife concert filmed at London’s Bush Hall Venue and broadcast by Tencent’s WeChat (Weixin) in China had an audience of almost 28 million. They were special guest performers on the Backstreet Boys livestream concert on the same platform on 24 June 2022.

On 14 August 2023, Westlife announced their first ever tour dates in Canada and the United States. They performed in Toronto, Boston, New York City, and Chicago in March 2024. On 12 April, Westlife announced the With Love Tour.

Public image and endorsements
Westlife's debut album and single coincided with the apogee of boy band popularity. They had album certifications in Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, and the United States as well. They had more than 50,000 official fans club members in mainland China alone in 2006. In 2009, "Flying Without Wings" was listed as the seventh most popular song for the wedding's first dances in the UK. In 2012, their version of "You Raise Me" and also "Flying Without Wings" made it to the top 20 most popular songs used at funerals. In 2016, three of their songs ("I'll See You Again", "Flying Without Wings", and "You Raise Me Up") made it on the top pop music choices for funerals in Ireland.

The band performed for the Sultan of Brunei and was paid £2.5 million to play a private concert of seven songs. They also performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 2000, 2005, and 2009. They also played for Queen Elizabeth II twice, Barack Obama and for Pope John Paul II. They were the first ever pop band to top the entertainment bill at the Vatican City and a private concert for the Pope.

Their second studio album Coast to Coast received additional products, mostly in Asia, that included MRT transport ticket, picture card calendar, postcard set, signed fold-out poster, glossy slipcase and Filofax. They received sponsorship from Tayto in 2000 and for their concert tours from Calvin Klein in 2001, Adidas in 2002, and Volkswagen in 2011. A book written by the members of Westlife was released on 16 June 2008 by HarperCollins UK Publishing titled 'Westlife - Our Story', as part of their 10th-year celebration. The band released two perfume gift sets, "X" and "With Love".

Charitable support
The group has supported various charitable causes. They were involved in the "Helping For Haiti" charity single that was released in February 2010, as well as releasing a cover version of "Uptown Girl" for Comic Relief.

They have participated in a Royal British Legion poppy appeal, Irish Blood for Life 2004 and did an advertisement for Galway's Irish Water Safety campaign. They also lent their support to the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS). On 4 November 2005, they performed with other music artists at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa for The "Unite of the Stars" Gala Banquet charity concert that supports four charities: the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, Unite Against Hunger, St. Mary's Hospital and the Topsy Foundation. They also performed live for charity on Sport Relief, Macmillan Cancer Support, Croí, Western Alzheimer's, O'Dwyer Cheshire Home, Mayo Cancer Support Group, Marie Keating Foundation, Outward Bound Trust, ChildLine, Children in Need, Sheffield's Children Hospital. They had also helped for auctions on Meningitis Research Foundation, Carlton Celebrity Auction for Centrepoint (for the homeless), the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and The Samaritans), Zutto charity painting, Pushing The Envelope (for National Literacy Trust). They've been involved also with the following organizations: Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID), Cancer Research UK, United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP), Muscle Help Foundation, Global Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign and Real Man campaign. They are also included as ambassadors of The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).

Members

 * Shane Filan – main vocalist (Melody/1st Tenor) (1998–2012, 2018–present)
 * Mark Feehily – main vocalist (1st Tenor) (1998–2012, 2018–present)
 * Nicky Byrne – sub vocalist (2nd Tenor/Baritone) (1998–2012, 2018–present)
 * Kian Egan – sub vocalist (Bass), occasional live instruments (1998–2012, 2018–present)
 * Brian McFadden – lead vocalist (Baritone) (1998–2004)

Discography

 * Westlife (1999)
 * Coast to Coast (2000)
 * World of Our Own (2001)
 * Turnaround (2003)
 * ...Allow Us to Be Frank (2004)
 * Face to Face (2005)
 * The Love Album (2006)
 * Back Home (2007)
 * Where We Are (2009)
 * Gravity (2010)
 * Spectrum (2019)
 * Wild Dreams (2021)

Concert tours
Headlining
 * East Meets Westlife Tour (2000)
 * Where Dreams Come True Tour (2001)
 * World of Our Own Tour (2002)
 * Unbreakable Tour (2003)
 * Turnaround Tour (2004)
 * Number Ones Tour (2005)
 * Face to Face Tour (2006)
 * The Love Tour (2007)
 * Back Home Tour (2008)
 * Where We Are Tour (2010)
 * Gravity Tour (2011)
 * The Greatest Hits Tour (2012)
 * The Twenty Tour (2019)
 * The Wild Dreams Tour (2022–2024)
 * With Love Tour (2024)

Supporting

 * Boyzone – Where We Belong Tour (1998)

Promotional tours

 * 1998–2012; 2018–present UK and Ireland Tour
 * 1999 European, East Asian and Southeast Asian Tour
 * 2000 European, North American, South American and Asian Tour
 * 2001, 2002 European, Korean, Mexican and United States Tour
 * 2003 European, Hong Kong, Japan, and Malaysian Tour
 * 2005, 2006 European, Taiwan Tour
 * 2007 Australian Tour
 * 2009 Swedish Tour
 * 2019 Singapore, Indonesian, Chinese, Swedish Tour

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Westlife


text:
Beaminster

Beaminster is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Dorset Council administrative area approximately 15 mi northwest of the county town Dorchester. It is sited in a bowl-shaped valley near the source of the small River Brit. The 2013 mid-year estimate of the population of Beaminster parish is 3,100.

Beaminster is the product of the Anglo-Saxon age, dating back to around the 7th century, when it was known as Bebingmynster, meaning the church of Bebbe although the date of origin of the town is unknown. The place name and historic evidence indicates that it was probably the site of a primary Saxon minster church and was at the centre of a large episcopal estate. These are likely to have acted as a focus for a settlement, but evidence of its formation is lacking.

In its history Beaminster has been a centre of manufacture of linen and woollens, the raw materials for which were produced in the surrounding countryside. The town experienced three serious fires in the 17th and 18th centuries; the first of these, during the English Civil War, almost destroyed the fabric of the town.

Beaminster parish church is notable for its architecture, particularly its tower.

History
In the Domesday Book of 1086 the manor of Beaminster was recorded as being owned by the See of Salisbury. Bishop Osmund gave it as a supplement to two of the Cathedral prebends in 1091. In the English Civil War the town declared for Parliament and was sacked by Royalist forces in 1644. Prince Maurice stayed in the town on Palm Sunday, though his stay was brief because a fire, caused by a musket being discharged into a thatched roof, almost totally destroyed the town. The town suffered further accidental fires in 1684 and 1781.

Previously Beaminster was a centre for the production of linen and woollens. Flax was grown and sheep kept on the surrounding hills and the town was locally more important than it is today: factories were constructed in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and as many as seventeen inns existed in the town in the early 20th century.

No railway line came through Beaminster and as a result the town declined relative to other local towns such as Bridport and Dorchester.

Horn Park, about 1+1/2 mi northwest of Beaminster, is a neo-Georgian country house of five bays and two storeys, designed by architect T. Lawrence Dale and completed in 1911. Inside the house the central corridor is barrel vaulted and leads to a drawing room whose groin vault is reminiscent of the work of Sir John Soane (1753–1837). The drawing room includes Jacobean features re-used from the largely mid-16th-century nearby Parnham House, which was being altered and restored at about the time that Horn Park was being built. Horn Park is Listed Grade II. Its gardens are occasionally open to the public as part of the National Gardens Scheme.

Geography
Beaminster is sited 50 to(-) above sea level in a bowl-shaped valley, surrounded by hills which rise to 244 m at Beaminster Down to the northeast. The River Brit and many small streams emerge from springs on the slopes above the town. The confluences of several of these streams are within the town's boundaries. Beaminster's growth has historically been along the course of these streams, resulting in a settlement pattern that is roughly star-shaped.

Beaminster is situated approximately 45 mi south of Bristol, 38 mi west of Bournemouth, 35 mi east of Exeter and 15 mi northwest of the county town Dorchester.

Geology
Beaminster is sited mostly on Middle Jurassic fuller's earth clay, with some Inferior Oolite in the south of the town and Bridport Sand Formation north of the town centre. The hills north and east of the town are Cretaceous chalk with a scarp face of Upper Greensand Formation, while those to the south and west are of Bridport Sand Formation. There are several faults running west-northwest to east-southeast through the town and its southern environs. Horn Park Quarry SSSI produced building stone from the Inferior Oolite and some quality fossil specimens before becoming a light industrial estate on the road to Broadwindsor. Apart from the ammonites, the site displays a remarkable flat erosion surface and the most complete succession in the Upper Aalenian ironshot oolite limestone of the area.

Beaminster parish
Dorset County Council's 2013 mid-year estimate of the population of Beaminster parish is 3,100.

The historic population of Beaminster parish from the censuses between 1921 and 2001 is shown in the table below.

 * {| class="wikitable" style="width:800px;"

! style="height:15px;"| Census ! 1921 ! 1931 ! 1951 ! 1961 ! 1971 ! 1981 ! 1991 ! 2001 !Population Source: Dorset County Council
 * +Census population of Beaminster Parish 1921-2001
 * - style="text-align:center;"
 * - style="text-align:center;"
 * 1,651
 * 1,612
 * 1,785
 * 2,000
 * 2,350
 * 2,370
 * 2,770
 * 2,920
 * }

2011 census
Published results from the 2011 national census combine information on Beaminster parish with the small neighbouring parish of Mapperton to the southeast. Within this area there were 1,680 dwellings, 1,529 households and a population of 3,136.

Economy and society
DuPont produce Nisaplin (E234), a commercial formulation of the natural bacteriocin nisin, at a factory in the town. It was first isolated by Aplin and Barret and produced in the 1950s in the factory laboratory then at 11–15 North Street. The Clipper tea company is based in Beaminster. It is currently owned by the Dutch company Royal Wessanen.

Beaminster hosts the Beaminster Festival, an annual music and art festival. Whitcombe Disc golf course at Beaminster has hosted the British Open Disc Golf Championship several times and the European Disc Golf Championship in 2003. The town is twinned with the town of Saint-James on the Brittany/Normandy border in France.

Buckham Fair, a fundraising vintage fair held annually on land near the town, took place for ten years until the last event in 2018. As of 2020, the fair has been indefinitely postponed.

Transport
The nearest railway station is 5 mi north of the town at Crewkerne. Exeter International Airport is 30 mi to the west. The main road through the town is the A3066, which leads to Bridport to the south and Mosterton and Crewkerne to the north. The road north passes through Horn Hill tunnel, which opened in June 1832 and is the sole pre-railway age road tunnel that is still in daily public use.

Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South West and ITV West Country. Television signals are received from the Stockland Hill TV transmitter and local relay transmitter.

Beaminster's local radio stations are BBC Radio Solent on 103.8 FM, Heart West on 97.1 FM,Greatest Hits Radio Dorset on 97.2 FM and Abbey104, a community based station that broadcast on 107.4 FM.

The town's is served by the local newspaper, Dorset Echo.

Politics
Beaminster is part of the West Dorset constituency for elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Beaminster is part of the Beaminster ward for elections to Dorset Council.

Education
Primary schools in the town include St Mary's Church of England Primary School.

Beaminster School is the town's secondary school. It has a combined sixth form with The Sir John Colfox Academy, in the nearby town of Bridport.

Beaminster is also home to Mountjoy School co-sharing the site of Beaminster School.

Hooke Park is the woodland campus of the Architectural Association School of Architecture.

Religion
Beaminster has an Anglican church, St Mary of the Annunciation; and a Catholic church, St John's. St Mary's is notable for its architecture, which is considered among the best in the county. The tower in particular has been described as "a handsome example of its period" and "the glory of Beaminster".

St Mary's construction mostly dates from the 15th and 16th centuries, but was restored twice in the 19th. The eastern part of the north aisle incorporates part of an earlier 13th-century building, and the font bowl is late 12th century. The pulpit is Jacobean. A chapel of ease, Holy Trinity Church, was built in 1849-51. After becoming redundant in 1978, it was converted into a private residence, Trefoil House.

In literature
Beaminster is referenced as "Emminster" in the fictional Wessex of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

Dorset's 19th-century dialect poet William Barnes wrote of Beaminster: Sweet Be'mi'ster, that bist a-bound By green and woody hills all round, Wi' hedges, reachèn up between A thousand vields o' zummer green.

It is a location for part of the story for the post-apocalyptic novel The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham.

Notable people

 * Beaminster was the boyhood home of the Arctic explorer, naturalist and author Samuel Hearne. Hearne is considered by some to have been the inspiration for the tragic figure in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
 * Beaminster is the adopted home town of actor Martin Clunes.
 * Mat Follas had his first restaurant The Wild Garlic in the town square, though in 2013 it was moved to larger premises elsewhere.
 * Beaminster was also home of Lynne Reid Banks, author of The L-Shaped Room and The Indian in the Cupboard; both books were filmed.
 * The furniture maker John Makepeace lives in the town after selling nearby Parnham House, where his school for craftsmen in wood was originally based. Alumni of Parnham House include David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon. Parnham was also the home of William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse, the first airman ever to receive the Victoria Cross, following a daring, though ultimately fatal, bombing mission over Courtrai in 1915.

Twin towns
Beaminster is twinned with:
 * 🇫🇷 Saint-James, Normandy, France

title: Beaminster


text:
Piedmont Park

Piedmont Park is an urban park in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, located about 1 mi northeast of Downtown, between the Midtown and Virginia Highland neighborhoods. Originally the land was owned by Dr. Benjamin Walker, who used it as his out-of-town gentleman's farm and residence. He sold the land in 1887 to the Gentlemen's Driving Club (later renamed the Piedmont Driving Club), who wanted to establish an exclusive club and racing ground for horse enthusiasts. The Driving Club entered an agreement with the Piedmont Exposition Company, headed by prominent Atlantan Charles A. Collier, to use the land for fairs and expositions and later gave the park its name.

The park was originally designed by Joseph Forsyth Johnson to host the first of two major expositions held in the park in the late 19th century. The Piedmont Exposition opened in October 1887 to great fanfare. The event was a success and set the stage for the Cotton States and International Exposition which was held in the park seven years later in 1895. Both exhibitions showcased the prosperity of the region that had occurred during and after the Reconstruction period. In the early 20th century, a redesign plan called the Olmsted plan, was begun by the sons of New York Central Park architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. The effort led to the addition of scenic paths in the park and the joining of the park with the Ansley park system.

Over the years, the park has also served as an athletic center for the city. Atlanta's first professional baseball team, the Atlanta Crackers, played in the park from 1902 to 1904. Several important intercollegiate rivalries were also forged in the park including the University of Georgia vs. Georgia Tech baseball rivalry and Georgia versus Auburn football which has been called the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry".

Throughout the 20th century, many improvements have been made in the park, including the addition of covered picnic areas, tennis facilities, the Lake Clara Meer dock and visitors center, and two playgrounds. In 2008, a ground-breaking ceremony was held for a 53 acre extension to the park. On April 12, 2011, Mayor Kasim Reed cut the ribbon to open the first phase of a major expansion into the northern third of the park. Additional areas at the far north of the park (near Ansley Mall) are to be developed next.

Opening
Atlanta was a rapidly growing city in the years before Piedmont Park. From 1860 to 1890, the population jumped from 9,554 to 65,533 residents. Those years saw the opening of many education institutions such as Morehouse College (1867), Clark College (1869), Spelman College (1881), Morris Brown College (1882), Georgia School of Technology (now known as the Georgia Institute of Technology) (1885), and Agnes Scott College (1890). John B. Gordon, a distinguished Confederate general, was Governor of Georgia.

The area soon to be known as Piedmont Park was owned by Benjamin Walker, who purchased the 189 acre in the 1830s from a man who had won the land in the land lottery. Walker farmed the land until, in 1887, he sold the land to the Gentlemen's Driving Club, known today as the Piedmont Driving Club, who planned "to form exclusive club and racing ground for horse enthusiasts". The driving club entered into an agreement with the Piedmont Exposition Company to use the grounds around the track as exposition space. Charles A. Collier, a prominent Atlanta businessman and former lawyer, was president of the company. Soon after, a main building, grandstands, and club house were built for the track.

The 1887 Piedmont Exposition
The first exposition ever held in Piedmont Park, the Piedmont Exposition of 1887, opened on October 10. The main building constructed for the Exposition was 570 ft long, 126 ft wide, and two stories high. The first day opened with 20,000 visitors. Samuel J. Randall opened the Exposition with a speech on the success of the resurrected post-civil war south. When his speech concluded, General Pierce M. B. Young and his men fired cannons to signal the opening of the events. Exhibitors showed off a variety of items including works of art, local raw materials like manganese, marble, and wood work. Many prominent figures of the day were in attendance to see the displays. Governor David B. Hill of New York spoke at the event as well as President Grover Cleveland who attended with his wife, Frances Folsom. Over 50,000 people were in attendance for Cleveland's speech. When the exposition was over, civic leaders said that it had successfully expanded Atlanta's reputation as a place to visit and to conduct business.

The Exposition was also a chance for Atlanta to prove that it was ready to host a world's fair. The Executive Committee of the Fair was invited to attend the event under the bidding of Charles Reynolds, Secretary of the Piedmont Exposition Company.

The "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry"
Five years later, Piedmont Park was the location of the second football game and the beginning of the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" between Auburn University (then named Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama) and the University of Georgia. The game was arranged by former Johns Hopkins classmates, Dr. Charles Herty of Georgia and Dr. George Petrie of Auburn. Auburn won the game 10–0. It was rumored afterward that Georgia's mascot, a goat (it wasn't until 1921 that Georgia officially became the Bulldogs), was the main course at a barbecue held by Georgia fans after the game.

Cotton States and International Exposition (1895)
In 1894, the Piedmont Exposition Company offered to sell the land to the city of Atlanta for $165,000.00, but Mayor John B. Goodwin refused. Thus, The park remained in private hands and outside the city limits for another ten years.

The Cotton States and International Exposition which opened for 100 days beginning on September 18, 1895 and ending December 31, 1895, attracted visitors from the U.S. and 13 countries. Over $2 million was spent on the transformation of Piedmont Park. The government allocated $250,000 for the construction of a government building and many states and countries such as Argentina also had their own buildings. Also constructed for the fair were the Tropical gardens, now known as the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and Lake Clara Meer which was originally a pond but was expanded to 11.5 acre for the event. Today, the stone balustrades scattered around the park are the only part of the enormous main building. The park remains largely as Joseph Forsyth Johnson designed it for the exposition although some changes were made during the Olmsted planning phase. However, most of the buildings that were constructed for the exposition were made of local Georgia granite and the buildings were dismantled after the event so that the granite could be sold to absolve the debt that the city incurred to hold the fair.

Booker T. Washington delivered his famous Atlanta Exposition Speech at the Expo, which is "widely regarded as one of the most significant speeches in American history." In his speech, Washington pushed for progress but not integration, a point that angered many other black leaders such as W. E. B. Du Bois. Attractions included Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, the Liberty Bell, and the first public demonstration of C. Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armat's motion picture projection device which they called the Phantoscope. John Philip Sousa's "King Cotton" march was created for the expo and was performed at the ceremony, and was conducted by the composer himself.

After the Exposition, the park continued to be extremely popular and was a magnet for growth in the area. State fairs and holiday celebrations were held at the park. Street car lines to the park increased. It was a generally prosperous time.

The beginnings of Atlanta baseball
In March 1898, the baseball fields were finally completed. On April 16, 1898, the first baseball game between Georgia and Georgia Tech, then known as the Georgia School of Technology, was played. From 1902 until 1904, the Atlanta Crackers, the city's original professional baseball team played ball on the fields of Piedmont Park before moving to a stadium on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

The Olmsted plan
The year 1904 for was a watershed time for the park. The preceding year, the prominent Atlantan George Washington Collier died. Collier had owned 202 acre of land to the west and north of the park that was sold for $300,000 to developers. The city bought the park for $98,000 in 1904, incorporating Piedmont Park into Atlanta's city limits. Mayor Evan Howell agreed to purchase the park, but only if it included those developed areas adjacent to the park which would add approximately $35,000 to $40,000 in tax revenues annually.

The main developer of Collier's land was Edwin Ansley, who created the Ansley Park subdivision under the guidelines set by the Olmsteds. The result was curvy streets surrounding "mini-parks" comprising a total of 25 acre. In 1912, these parks were deeded to the city.

In 1909, the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, landscape architect for Central Park in New York, Carey and Frederick Jr. were asked to design the park's master plan while they were at work on Grant Park. The city agreed to pay $1,800 for the plan, but Olmsted was concerned that Atlanta might not have enough money for the necessary improvements.

In 1910, the brothers submitted a plan for the park that was to include a 5 mi scenic path and driveways that would link Piedmont Park to the streets of Ansley Park. Joining the parks was a success and thereafter, the parks were known as Twin Parks. Although never fully implemented, the Olmsted plan had a great effect on the development in the surrounding area.

20th-century growth and development
The park's first bathhouse was opened in 1911. Swimming in the lake was allowed until 1973, when the city opened a pool in the park. The same year the first bathhouse was opened, the Peace Monument, a Confederate monument, was dedicated in the park, near the 14th Street gate.

On January 29, 1913, Calvin Shelverton applied for a building permit to construct the Piedmont Park Apartments. The apartments were designed by Leila Ross Wilburn and were decidedly middle-class unlike some of the other developments in the area. The apartments remained middle-class up until about 1960, and residents included such prominent Atlantans as accounting company president T. C. Dunlap and lawyer J. B. Stewart. In 1913, seven clay courts were built where the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition's Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building once was. Eight more courts were added in 1914 to accommodate the overwhelming demand. That same year, the Sidney Lanier Monument was dedicated in the park.

Notable additions and buildings include the bandstand, built in 1915; a picnic shelter constructed by the WPA in 1936; the Steffen Thomas-designed Pioneer Women memorial in 1938; the Noguchi Playscapes, completed in 1976 under the aegis of the High Museum and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and designed by world-renowned artist and sculptor Isamu Noguchi, noteworthy as the only public work by Noguchi in the U.S. In 2002, the dog park was opened.

Playscapes underwent restoration in 2005 under Eddie Granderson, public arts manager of the City of Atlanta. Jablonski Berkowitz Conservation Inc. was selected to do the restoration and assessments began in September of that year. The company was charged with bringing the playground up to safety codes and restoring the original paint.

2008 drought
In January 2008, city officials announced that the Peachtree Road Race, Atlanta Pride Festival, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and the Dogwood Festival would not be held in the park due to extreme drought. Some festivals which don't make use of green space were still allowed in the park. The Atlanta Arts Festival ran from September 12–14, 2008, and utilized only paved areas. Other festivals were temporarily moved to alternate venues, such as Centennial Olympic Park. The drought in Atlanta ended by late 2009. In 2010, several events returned to Piedmont Park, including the Dogwood Festival, the Jazz Festival, and Screen on the Green.

2011 expansion
Approximately 50 acre in the northwest portion of the 187 acre park had remained woodlands into the 21st century. In 2007, a park expansion plan called for a new parking deck as well as "open green space, bicycle and walking trails, formal and community gardens, an interactive water feature, children's playgrounds, a skate park, athletic fields, and woodlands". The project was expected to cost $72 million.

On April 23, 2008, a ground-breaking ceremony was held at the Bathhouse for the 53 acre expansion of the Park. The pool and bathhouse are part of a huge Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) renovation that cost around $7.8 million and was completed in early summer 2009. The renovation features accessibility, a warming kitchen, WiFi, a pool with beach entry, bubblers, current channel, vortex, fountains, separate splash pad, lap lanes, landscaped deck environment, and concessions. A new area featuring a Bocce ball court and green space with an arbor opened in May 2010.

On April 12, 2011, Mayor Kasim Reed cut the ribbon to open the first phase of a major expansion into the northern third of the park. Areas opened include two oval-shaped plazas ("The Greensward" and "The Promenade", which contains the interactive Legacy Fountain), the Lower Meadow, the Six Springs Wetlands, and a vastly expanded dog park.

2013 expansion
Construction began in early 2013 on areas at the far north of the park, including The Northwoods, Piedmont Commons, and Piedmont Gardens. New park entrances are to be added at the eastern end of Westminster Dr. (off Piedmont Ave.), the northern end of Dutch Valley Pl., and at 1514 Monroe just south of Piedmont Ave., on the site of Agnes & Muriel's restaurant. There are already dirt trails that follow Clear Creek and the BeltLine Eastside Trail northwards connecting the 2011 and 2013 expansion areas and providing pedestrian access to the Ansley Mall area north of the park, and to the BeltLine trails going further north.

Piedmont Park Conservancy
The Piedmont Park Conservancy is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that is in charge of park improvements and 90 percent of the Park's daily maintenance care and security. The Conservancy was founded in 1989 to revitalize the rapidly deteriorating park. Since then, it has raised and invested $66 million in the restoration and enhancement of Piedmont Park and making it, once again, the most visited green space in Atlanta.

Outdoor activities
The park hosts several miles of paved paths suitable for walking, running, biking, and inline skating. Skate Escape across from the park at the 12th Street entrance rents both bikes and skates. On weekend afternoons, skateboarders and inline skaters often share the open, paved area inside the 12th Street entrance.

Piedmont Park has picnic shelters located just to the East of the north soccer field. There are also various picnic tables and benches throughout the park. Many visitors choose to picnic on the expansive lawns as well. The first grill in Piedmont Park was erected for the 1895 Cotton States Exposition where the administrative offices now sit. There are 22 grills throughout the park. No portable grills are allowed.

The Noguchi "Playscape" is located near the 12th Street Gate. The geometrically shaped, modernist playground includes a soaring swing set, slide, sand pit, climbing dome and more made of bright and exciting colors. Also in the park is a new playground known as Mayor's Grove. It was designed as a Boundless Playgrounds and features a high level of accessibility and interactive play.

Sports
Piedmont Park is a popular place for organized sports. The Sharon E. Lester Tennis Center at Piedmont Park is a fully staffed, public facility with 12 lighted hard courts, offering leagues, lessons, and supplies.

The Active Oval has two softball fields, two soccer fields, and two beach volleyball courts, all ringed by a dirt running path. Kickball leagues also use the softball fields.

The park's swimming center, once closed for renovations, re-opened in summer of 2009.

Fishing and the lake
The lake is located in the south east part of the park. Fishing is permitted in the lake, which is stocked with large mouth bass, crappie, bream, and catfish. A 2002 renovation of the lake added a new bridge connecting the two bodies of water and three fishing piers located around the lake.

Clara Meer Dock is located at the west corner of the lake. Just above the Dock sits the historic Visitor Center building. Clara Meer Dock forms an amphitheater-like space nestled into the western end of the lake. Clara Meer Dock is often used for wedding ceremonies. Rental of the dock also includes the Visitor's Center. The Visitor's Center features a barrel ceiling with a painted mural called "A Day at the Park" by Ralph Gilbert. The center seats 40 persons inside and over 200 more on the adjoining lawn and dock. The Dock seats up to 120 for ceremony, or up to 100 for table dining or possible dance floor area.

Dogs
With the exception of some festival weekends and special events, dogs are permitted in Piedmont Park, on leashes 6 ft or shorter for safety reasons. Owners must clean up after their dogs, and the park has a half-dozen plastic bag dispensing stations to facilitate this. Several of the park's water fountains also have a ground-level basin for dogs to use.

Just north of the Park Road entrance bridge are two fenced-in Dog Parks that equal to three acres where friendly dogs (and their owners) can cavort with each other off-leash. Brand new, vastly expanded parks for small and large dogs were opened in April 2011.

The Piedmont Park Conservancy (a nonprofit) was responsible for the restoration of the Piedmont Park Dog Parks, and still manages the dog parks today.

Special events
Piedmont Park is a central focal point of Atlanta's Midtown community. The park is home to various annual celebrations and events, including Atlanta Pride Festival, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Music Midtown, Atlanta Black Pride, and Festival Peachtree Latino. A summer series of classic films, Screen on the Green, is also aired in the park for local residents. The Peachtree Road Race finishes at Piedmont Park.

On the weekend and holidays, the park comes alive with music, intramural sports, and fun festivities. In 2004, Georgia Shakespeare Festival added an annual series of free performances entitled "Shake on the Lake" with Lake Clara Meer as a backdrop. A centennial celebration was held for the park in June 2004. In 2007, the Allman Brothers Band and Dave Matthews Band played a concert with proceeds benefiting the planned expansion to the park. Dave Matthews Band's performance was later released as a live DVD as well as their eighth live album, Live at Piedmont Park. Sir Paul McCartney performed in Piedmont Park to benefit the conservancy on August 15, 2009. The Eagles performed at the park on October 16, 2010, also as a benefit for the conservancy. In 2011, Music Midtown returned from its five-year hiatus, hosting headliners Coldplay and The Black Keys in Piedmont Park, however the 2022 concert was cancelled due to a lawsuit concerning firearms access.

Park schedule
The park is open from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM every day.

title: Piedmont Park