In the 19th century Birkenhead experienced serious conflicts between the Protestant and Catholic sections of its community. The Garibaldi Riots of 1862 were mainly in the town itself, but over the years there were Orange marches to the Grand Entrance and at least one occasion when the Town Council refused permission for preaching in the Park on the grounds that it might lead to bad behaviour. However, possibly the largest crowd for a meeting in the Park, reported to be 30,000, gathered in the Rugby Ground in 1953 to hear the American evangelist Father Patrick Peyton preach. More recently there have been religious meetings entitled “God in the Park”.