Orford Park is a municipal

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

in the town of

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Orford Hall and surrounding lands were donated to

Council in December 1916. The hall was demolished in 1935 but its grounds remain as Orford Park, a green lung in an area near the town centre. There are plans for major sport and community development in the park, which is currently the site of two

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

courts and a

bowling green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

. In 2009, a £30m redevelopment project for the park was approved by Warrington Borough Council. Work began in May of that year and concluded three years later in May 2012. The project saw Orford Jubilee Neighbourhood Hub built on the western end of Orford Park, which was opened by

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

as part of her

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

celebrations. A Decathlon sports store was built on the land directly adjacent to Winwick Road. New paved paths were installed to create a route for pedestrians and cycles between Winwick Road, Hallfields Road and School Road. A pond was added at the northern edge of the park. The original main area in the southeast of the park was updated; it now boasts a skate park, children's playground, bowling green, ball court and football pitches. The park is home to number of British birds, mammals, amphibians, fish and invertebrates, along with occasional visiting reptiles. Some common species include mallards, black-headed gulls, water voles, common frogs and common gulls.

William Beamont William Beamont (1797–1889) was an English solicitor and local philanthropist. He lived in the town of Warrington, in the north-west of England. Life Beamont was the first mayor of Warrington after its incorporation as a municipal borou ...

, a local historian and the first

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

lived in Orford Hall for some 23 years, until his death in 1889.

References

External links

Warrington council
Parks and commons in Warrington Protected areas established in 1916 1916 establishments in England {{Cheshire-geo-stub