Heaton Park

Heaton Park lies on the northern edge of Manchester, covering more than 600 acres of gently rolling ground. The land once belonged to a country house built in the 18th century and remodelled by James Wyatt. Manchester City Council bought the estate in 1902 after a campaign led by Alderman Fletcher Moss. The park now holds one of Europe’s largest municipal green spaces and a Grade II listed landscape. A concrete telecommunications tower rises above the trees, a rare feature in British parks. Inside the park are formal gardens, woodlands, an animal farm and a boating lake. The park’s history includes race meetings established in 1827 by the second Earl of Wilton. During the First World War it trained thousands of soldiers for the Manchester Pals battalions. In the Second World War the site became a Royal Air Force training camp where more than 130 000 aircrew prepared for service. The Egerton family originally laid out the grounds in the style of Capability Brown. Wyatt’s temple still crowns the highest point, once used as an observatory with a telescope costing the same as an under-butler’s annual wage. Visitors walk past the restored Smithy Lodge and the Dower House, now home to beekeepers. The temple offers wide views across the golf course and Pennine hills. The hall’s state rooms include a Music Room with an 18th-century organ and a rare Pompeiian-style Cupola Room. An adventure playground, tram museum and volunteer-run farm provide activities for all ages. Woodland paths lead to an observatory and a pitch-and-putt course beside the ornamental gardens.