Walking for Health Initiative - Christchurch Park IntroductionThe park is an important refuge for wildlife with recordings of over 100 species of birds. There are several notable specimens and varieties of trees although 235 were lost in the storm of October 1987, including the last elm.
It offers open land, ornamental gardens and ponds, wildlife areas, sport and play areas, an historic mansion with tea rooms. There are toilets with disabled facilities around the park.
The Park originally extended for 643 acres, was established by the Augustinian Priory of the Holy Trinity in the 12th century. It was seized by the Crown in 1536, later sold to Paul Withypoll whose son built the Mansion between 1548 – 1550.
By the time Claude Fonnereau took over in 1735 the estate was reduced to 70 acres.
The general public have had access to the estate since 1724.
In 1894 Felix Cobbold gifted the Mansion to the Town and the Corporation of Ipswich purchased the remainder of the park.
The Mansion opened to the public on 18 April 1896. The council subsequently bought the Lower Arboretum in 1922 and the Upper Arboretum in 1928.
Walk Directions The 2 mile walk starts and finishes from the Park Road entrance, it can be increased or shortened in distance. Proceed from the Park road entrance down the sloping drive until you reach the path that crosses the drive, turn right down Mayors Avenue, carry on until you reach the gate to the Bridle Way. Cross the Bridle way and enter the Upper Arboretum through the gate turning left at the far path that runs adjacent to the Henley Road.
Carry on down the path, there are benches for resting along the route, until you reach the Henley Road entrance, Gate house and Water Fountain. Continue down the path taking the right hand fork , passing the toilets on your right and the Bandstand on your left. The path then forks left, take this left hand path, adjacent to the Bridle Way, taking you back to the Upper Arboretum. If you don’t take the left hand fork the path will take you to the park exit on the bridle way.
Continue along the left hand path, passing the bandstand again on your left until reaching a path forking right. Take the right hand fork , keeping adjacent to the Bridle Way, passing an entrance to the Bridle Way on your right until you reach an underpass on your right. Carry on through the underpass into the Lower Arboretum and turn right.
Follow the path next to the tennis courts on your left, until the junction by the croquet lawn entrance. Take the right hand path, tennis courts now on the right and toilets on the left, leading to the Fonnereau road entrance – Mayors Walk – continue past the entrance carrying on down Mayors Walk until you are back at the Croquet Lawn entrance.
Keeping to the path with the Croquet Lawn on your left, pass a line of benches until you reach a path at the end of the benches. Follow the path over a wooden bridge with the pond on your left and the miniature water feature on your right. Carry on around the pond, on reaching the gate to the Bird Reserve follow the path to the Round Pond again until you reach the mansion.
At the mansion turn left and follow the pathway up the slope towards the children’s play area, passing a monument on your right. Toilets and a Kiosk are on the far right of the park. Turn left at the play area and follow the path down some steep but easy steps to the Water Meadow. Continue past the far entrance of the Bird Reserve. Turn right, follow the pathway then turn left at the next path going in to the Lower Arboretum. Turn right, carry on past the Tennis Courts, go through the underpass and turn right into the Upper Arboretum keep to the right hand path, go through the gate crossing the Bridal Path, into the Mayors Avenue. Continue towards the Westerfield Road entrance until you reach the drive crossing the path.
Turn left and finish back at the Park Road entrance.
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MAP - click this link to view a map of this walk