One of the
Towns most enjoyable attractions and an area of immense community
pride and appeal, Elmhurst Park is often referred to as the jewel
in the crown of Woodbridge. Elmhurst is invitingly located a short
walk from both the main shopping Thoroughfare and the River Deben
and is renowned for its floral colour, mature planting, high
standards of maintenance, diverse events programme (insert link)
and wide community appeal.
This award winning park covers nearly two hectares and is
attractively enclosed within boundary walls. The Park can be
accessed from four entrances all suitable for wheelchairs and is
equipped with level footpaths throughout.
Park
History
The Park was gifted to the Town by Lord
Woodbridge in 1935 and was originally part of a larger garden
extending down to Marsh areas bordering the River Deben. The
gardens belonged to the property called Elmhurst that overlooks the
Park and originally contained fruit, vegetable and flower gardens,
stables, a coachman’s house and a gardener’s cottage. The formal
gardens to the house were once separated from the main part of the
garden by a ‘ha-ha’, the top part of which is still visible beside
the “long border” footpath.
Features
Elmhurst is home to two sundials, the first a traditional
horizontal sundial and the second an unusual equatorial sundial,
donated to the Park in 1988. The public shelter was built to
celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953.
The Maritime theme flagpole and Napoleonic cannon helps link local
history into the fabric of the Park with the Town owing much to
it’s close proximity to the River Deben and its use as a
Garrison
town in the Napoleonic era.
The Green Flag that can
be seen flying from the flag pole is a recognition of
achieving a standard of excellence in maintenance, management,
community involvement, accessibility, conservation and
sustainability. The Green Flag is awarded on an annual basis
and is the recognised benchmark for Park’s quality. We are
delighted to have achieved this for a fifth consecutive year
in 2006 and are still the only Town Council in the Country to
receive this award.
Floral Displays, Borders
and Trees
Floral displays have long been a major visitor attraction and make
up a part of the Town’s annual Anglia in Bloom competition entry of
which the Town has a long proud history of
success. Woodbridge Town Council in partnership with
Woodbridge in Bloom runs an annual "Design a Bed" competition with
local schools. The winning design is then planted in the
Circular flowerbed in the Park.
To view this Winter's Bedding entry by Will
Martin Click Here.
To view the Summer 2007 Bedding entry Click
Here.
The park is home to more than 40 different tree
species. The most impressive, and perhaps the outstanding feature
of the Park, is the ancient Copper Beech tree, estimated to be more
that 200 years old and of outstanding shape and character.
Conservation
The Park’s management views conservation as being an essential part
of a balanced environment and therefore manage areas for this
purpose. A variety of bird and bat nesting boxes, mammal and insect
shelters and habitats have been created to support our wildlife
population. Areas are managed to allow wildflowers and plants of
value to wildlife to flourish.
Amenities
The Park’s facilities include a children’s play
area, public performance area, seats and benches, conveniences and
open grass areas suited to small informal games.
Concerts and
Events
In 1998, a bandstand was officially opened and
acts as a centrepiece to our free events programme that takes place
during the summer months. Each year a diverse range of concerts and
events takes place, ranging from children’s fun days to live bands
and singing groups.
Click Here for
events taking place during 2008.
Community Involvement
The Park and its users benefit greatly from the
input of numerous volunteer groups who assist and utilise the Park
and it’s facilities.
Nature Watch Diary
Compiled by Jillian MacGuire in 2007 from
observations made by the park keepers, the general public and her
own records. Click Here
Updated Version for January - March 2008.
Click Here
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