Hazlehead Park is a public park in the
Hazlehead area of
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. 180 hectares in size, it was opened to the public in 1920, having formerly been the estate of Hazlehead House, home of William Rose, shipbuilder. It is heavily wooded and contains many walking tracks.
There are
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
pitches, two
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
courses, a
pitch and putt
Pitch and putt is an amateur sport very similar to, and derived from, golf, where the hole length is typically up to and just 2–3 clubs are typically used. The game was organised and developed in Ireland during the early 20th century, befo ...
course and a horse-riding school. The park has a significant collection of sculpture by a range of artists, including the memorial to those who died in the
Piper Alpha
Piper Alpha was an oil platform located in the North Sea approximately north-east of Aberdeen, Scotland. It was operated by Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Limited (OPCAL) and began production in 1976, initially as an oil-only platform but la ...
disaster. It also has heritage items which have been rescued from various places within the city, and it features Scotland's oldest maze, first planted in 1935.
In 2022, Hazlehead Park was one of nine parks in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to be commended with a Green Flag award for sustainability and maintenance.
In September 2007, Hazlehead Park was host to the
Northsound Radio
Northsound Radio was the name for the original Independent Local Radio station broadcast from Aberdeen and serving the North East of Scotland. In 1995, the station split to become two separate stations.
History
Until summer 1981, the only loc ...
concert, Free 2007. It took place on Sunday 2 September 2007, and claims to be the biggest free outdoor event in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
The park is home to a
Parkrun
Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of events for walkers, runners and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across six continents. Junior Parkrun (stylised as junior parkrun) ...
.
Golf
![HazleheadGolfCourse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/HazleheadGolfCourse.jpg)
The park has two 18 hole and a 9 hole golf course as well as a foot-golf area. The courses are public owned and there are no handicap or other restrictions for those who play on them.
The "Number 1 course" was designed by
Alistair MacKenzie, who also designed the
Augusta National
Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does no ...
.
Cafe
The park has its own cafe which was refurbished and reopened in 2013. It is operated by the same company as the cafe at
Duthie Park
Duthie Park, situated in Aberdeen, Scotland, by the banks of the River Dee, comprises of land given to the council in 1881 by Lady Elizabeth Duthie of Ruthrieston, in memory of her uncle and of her brother. She purchased the land for £30,000 f ...
. The cafe was severely damaged in a fire in the evening of 11 December 2020, which was subsequently determined to have been started deliberately. It had been expected to be reopened by the end of 2021, but instead opened on 28 May 2022.
Transport
![Bus shelter outside Hazlehead Park - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Bus_shelter_outside_Hazlehead_Park_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1590274.jpg)
Hazlehead Park was the terminus of one of the
Aberdeen Corporation Tramways
Aberdeen Corporation Tramways formerly served the City of Aberdeen, Scotland.
The system
The city's tram system was the most northerly municipal tramway in the United Kingdom. It started on 26 August 1898 when the Aberdeen Corporation purchased ...
routes. Service was withdrawn in 1958. Bus number 4 replaced the tram route and operated between the park and the beach. It was withdrawn in 1986.
See also
*
Green Spaces and Walkways in Aberdeen
The Scottish city of Aberdeen has a number of green spaces and walkways. The parks, gardens and floral displays which include 2 million roses, 11 million daffodils and 3 million crocuses have led the city to win the Royal Horticultural Societ ...
References
Further reading
# Information about William Rose is sourced from "The Gilcomston Story", an account of
Gilcomston Church
Gilcomston Church is an independent evangelical congregation, which meets in the church buildings on Union Street, Aberdeen. The congregation was formerly part of the Church of Scotland and known as Gilcomston South Church.
Overview
The churc ...
from its beginnings to 1945, written by Francis Lyall. The relevant section is the piece regarding Rev. Robert Forgan.
External links
Hazlehead Golf CoursesHazlehead Park
{{Public parks and gardens in Aberdeen
Parks in Aberdeen
Mazes in the United Kingdom