TO apostrophe or not to apostrophe — that is the question.

The new plaque unveiled to mark the 150th anniversary of revamped Queens Park features what some may consider a rogue punctuation mark.

Unveiled on Sunday by dignitaries including council leader Councillor Cliff Morris and Mayor of Bolton Councillor Lynda Byrne, the ornamental tablet celebrates a century and a half of the park’s founding as well as its five year long, £5.3m council-led refurbishment using Heritage Lottery Funding.

But the wording of the sign has left people questioning which is the correct spelling: with a possessive apostrophe or without?

Even the signage in the public space itself is confused, mixing both versions.

John Harding, chairman of the Friends of Queens Park, was present at the unveiling but did not notice the arguably erroneous character on the plaque.

He said: “I have always understood that it was without an apostrophe.

“With an apostrophe looks a bit peculiar and I’ve never really seen it officially with one.

“Grammatically, ‘Queen’s’ is correct. But Queens Park is a title and it’s not intended as such to be a possessive - it’s not as though The Queen is walking through the front gates.

“Just think of the number of churches, such as St Patricks or St Marys, that often don’t go with the apostrophe.

“I’d be interested to see what reaction the apostrophe debate gets.”

The landscaped park off Spa Road was opened as Bolton Park in 1866 but was renamed in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

The strongest evidence for the punctuation-less version of the name is not only a number of mentions in the park itself but the council’s own website and The Friends of Queens Park group.

Similarly opting for this spelling is Queens Park Street, a cul-de-sac off near the open space off Chorley New Road, and Queens Park veterinary Surgery close by.

On the other side, a vintage postcard from the early 1900s did cite the name with an apostrophe as does Heritage England’s official listing.