Brabyns Park is a

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...

Marple Bridge Marple Bridge is a district of Marple in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England; it is sited on the River Goyt, which runs through the centre of the village. Historically part of the civil parish of Glossop, Derbysh ...

, Stockport, Greater Manchester, England.

History

Brabyns Park was formerly the grounds of Brabyns Hall, a now demolished mansion house.http://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/documents/s19110/Marple p.5 The estate was originally owned by the Lowe family of Lower Marple. Elizabeth Brabin owned the estate in 1749 and, with her husband Henry, built the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

Brabyns Hall and began the landscaping of the grounds. The house faced down the valley to take advantage of the views and lodges controlled access into the park. In 1800, the estate was purchased by Nathaniel Wright and, in 1811, the house was extended with lake added and chestnuts, poplars and cypress trees planted. Ann Hudson inherited the estate in 1866 and it continued in the female line until Fanny Hudson died in 1941. The estate was bought by

Cheshire County Council Cheshire County Council was the county council of Cheshire. Founded on 1 April 1889, it was officially dissolved on 31 March 2009, when it and its districts were superseded by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East. ...

and was opened for public recreation. The hall was demolished in 1953 and, subsequently, the farm house in the 1970s. Brabyns Hall as military hospital c

Landmarks

The park is part of the Marple Conservation Area, due to its historic planned landscape. The iron bridge at the park is Grade II listed with

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

. It is one of the few remaining iron bridges from the early 1800s and was awarded a

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

grant in 2007 to assist with its restoration. The

Weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

over the

River Goyt The River Goyt is a tributary of the River Mersey in North West England. Etymology The name ''Goyt'' may be derived from the Middle English ''gote'', meaning "a watercourse, a stream". Derivation from the Welsh ''gwyth'' meaning "vein" has bee ...

in the park is Grade II listed with Historic England, as is the Lodge at the entrance to the park which is privately owned.

Facilities

The facilities are parkland, woodland, riverside walks along the

, playing fields, football pitches, a children's play area, a pond,

Peak Forest Canal The Peak Forest Canal is a narrow ( gauge) locked artificial waterway in northern England. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network. Route and features General description The canal consists of two level ...

, picnic areas, horse riding and car parking.

References

{{commonscat, Brabyns Park Marple, Greater Manchester Parks and commons in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport