Stoke Park, Bristol
Stoke Park and The Dower House, seen from Duchess Pond
Stoke Park is located in Bristol
Stoke Park
Stoke Park
  Stoke Park shown within Bristol
LocationBristol
OS gridST 61590 77051
Coordinates51°29′28″N 2°33′17″W / 51.49109°N 2.55462°W / 51.49109; -2.55462
Area108 hectares (270 acres)

Stoke Park is a public open space of 108 hectares (270 acres) in Bristol, England. It occupies a prominent position on the eastern flanks of Purdown, alongside the M32 motorway, together with the landmark Dower House and Purdown transmitter.[1] Approximately 80% of the park is within the Bristol ward of Lockleaze; the remainder is within South Gloucestershire.[2]

Bristol City Council plan to extend cattle grazing throughout the park between April and November 2018 to stop the spread of invasive scrub and as an educational resource.[3] There has been some public opposition to developments in the park. Petitions have opposed the felling of hundreds of trees in a stretch of young woodland and the construction of a 3m wide path which could stretch for nearly 2km across the park's meadows.

The Dower House

The Dower House is one of Bristol's more prominent landmarks, set on a hill above the M32 motorway on the main approach into the city, and painted yellow. The house was built in 1553 by Sir Richard Berkeley. It has also been used as part of Stoke Park Hospital. The house closed as a hospital in 1985, and has been converted into flats.

Duchess Pond

Within Stoke Park are two small lakes, the largest of which is Duchess Pond. It is used for angling and also supports breeding birds which are scarce elsewhere in Bristol, for example, reed warbler and reed bunting; in addition, an Egyptian goose was seen here in 2006 and a bittern in 2014.[4]

The clock tower was erected in Stoke Park in 1930, to commemorate the Rev Harold Nelson Burden who founded the Stoke Park Mental Colony

Listed structures

Several aspects of the house and estate are listed. The house is Grade II* listed.[5] The balustraded terrace, the Orangery, the remains of the obelisk, and the Broomhill Gate are all Grade II listed. The woods contain the Beaufort Memorial, the cold bath, a stone tunnel, and a partially derelict stone tunnel with rusticated entrance arches, all also Grade II listed.[6]

Other facilities

  • Hermitage Tunnel
  • Purdown BT Tower
  • Woodland
  • World War II gun emplacements on Purdown:

The site was first established in 1939 to hold mobile anti-aircraft guns, but was converted to a permanent concrete reinforced battery in June 1940. Manned by the Royal artillery regiment, the site included octagonal gun emplacements, integral ammunition bays and shelters with surrounding blast walls as well as a command post.[7] Most of the structures survive and are still clearly observable.

References

  1. ↑ "Stoke Park Estate". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Bristol City Council (February 2013). "A Management Plan for Stoke Park Estate" (PDF). Management Plan.
  3. ↑ Wood, Alex (20 December 2017). "Cows will return to Bristol Park by after cash boost". bristolpost. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  4. ↑ Bland, R. L. and J. Tully (2011) The Breeding Season Atlas of the Birds of Bristol 2000-2008 Bristol Ornithology 30:3-59
  5. ↑ Historic England. "Dower House (Grade II*) (1136240)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  6. ↑ Historic England. "Stoke Park (Grade II) (1000129)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Second World War heavy anti-aircraft battery 590m north east of Highwood House, Pur Down, Bristol, City of Bristol - 1004531 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
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