Walking for Health Initiative - Chantry Park A brief history
In August 1928 Sir Arthur Churchman gave Chantry Park to the Ipswich Corporation as a gift to be held in permanent trust for the people of Ipswich and in October of that same year, HRH Princess Mary officially opened the park to the public.
The definition of "Chantry" has its origins in praying for the souls of the departed and is derived from the French word "Chanter", to sing and has its roots in the Latin word "Chantare'.
Due to its location on the western edge of Ipswich, the park provides an ideal repose for both passive and active recreation and a haven for both flora and fauna. A formal garden area provides colourful bedding displays to flowering shrubs and roses, landscape features like cedar trees, well maintained lawns, hedges and parterre garden.
The park has good facilities for organised sports.
Walk Directions
Start Point A - (Underpass from Chantry Estate)
Walk up main path from underpass, passing tennis courts on your left until your reach a junction. Turn right until you reach a set of steps (these are avoidable by walking round the steps), turning left to walk past the pond on your right hand side until you reach a path on your left.
Follow this short path until you reach some steps observing the rose garden on your right and the mansion in front of you, keeping to your left walk down the main pathway (taking time to see the ornamental garden on your right and the rose beds on your left).
On reaching the junction turn right following the pathway keeping the ornamental garden on your right and the bowling green on your left until you reach the end of the bowling green (mansion in front of you).
Turn left and follow the pathway around the bowling green observing the borders on the left and right carrying on along a rough surface and gradient pathway, passing through a car park with the cricket pavilion on your left until you reach the entrance gate by the A1214. Turn left by the gate walking inside the perimeter fence across the grass until you reach the start point.
Start Point B - (Main Car Park)
Entry into the walk is by access through a double safety barrier located from the car park roadway at the top end of the pond. On passing through the barriers turn right and follow the short pathway until you reach a path on your right, you are now on the same walk as indicated from start point A.
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MAP - click this link to view a map of these walks