Brandon Country Park

Brandon Country Park
Type Country Park
Location Brandon, Suffolk, England
Coordinates 52°26′10″N 0°37′20″E / 52.4360°N 0.6223°E / 52.4360; 0.6223Coordinates: 52°26′10″N 0°37′20″E / 52.4360°N 0.6223°E / 52.4360; 0.6223
Open All year

Brandon Country Park is a country park in Brandon, Suffolk, England.[1]

History

Brandon Country Park was created on land bought by Edward Bliss who became wealthy from selling gun flint during the Napoleonic Wars.[1] In 1820 he bought Brandon Park house and grounds and used his wealth to develop the property. He built a walled garden and an arboretum with exotic species including Blue Atlas Cedar, Monkey Puzzle Trees and Giant Redwoods. In the grounds he built a Gothic mausoleum built with knapped flint and surrounded by Irish Yew trees. Both Bliss and his wife were laid to rest in the mausoleum but were later moved to Brandon Cemetery. When the gun flint industry began to decline Bliss had his work force plant over 1 million trees, in the process creating Thetford Forest.[2] Brandon Park house is Grade II listed with Historic England[3] and is now a privately owned nursing home.[4]

Facilities

The facilities include a visitor centre, walking, cycling, forest trails and bushcraft.[1] Brandon Country Park Parkrun takes place every Saturday morning, the course is through woodland and on mixed trails.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Brandon Country Park". www.brandoncountrypark.org.uk.
  2. ↑ "History". www.brandoncountrypark.org.uk.
  3. ↑ England, Historic. "Brandon Park House, Brandon - 1277772 - Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
  4. ↑ "Brandon Park - Stow Healthcare".
  5. ↑ "Course - Brandon Country Park parkrun". www.parkrun.org.uk.
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