Witton Country Park is a 480-
acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imp ...
(1.9 km²) public park in the west of
Blackburn,
Lancashire, England. Around half of the
country park
A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.
United Kingdom
History
In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised coun ...
is mixed woodland and parkland, while the rest is either farmland or rough grassland with open access. A visitors' centre features stables with exhibitions of old
horse-drawn farm machinery, farm hand-tools and a
natural history room. A
mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
centre houses
shrews,
voles,
ferret
The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, Domestication, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), evidenced by their Hybrid (biol ...
s,
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
s and other animals, which are on display.
History
Witton House and its gardens were created for Joseph Feilden in 1800.
Lieutenant General
Randle Joseph Feilden, his second son, was a
member of parliament. The estate was used by the
British Army in both world wars and then, in 1946, thanks in part due to a large donation by Robert Edward Hart, it was acquired by Blackburn Council.
[ After dry rot was found the house was demolished in 1952.][
On 11 April 2011, Prince William and Catherine Middleton visited Witton Country Park and greeted the Blackburn Harriers and Athletic Club.
]
Events in the park
Each year, two events, "Arts in the Park" and "Blackburn with Darwen Mela", take place. These events formerly took place in Corporation Park, but moved to Witton Park in 2005. "Arts in the Park" sees local bands playing, as well as more famous acts such as Liberty X. Also many other events take place throughout the day, which usually ends with a set performed by an orchestra. The park is also the venue for the annual Blackburn Race for Life charity fundraising event.raceforlife.org
Accessed 2011
See also
*Witton Park Academy
Witton Park Academy is a coeducational secondary school located in the west of Blackburn, Lancashire, England.
Witton Park is for children aged 11–16. It is within the boundary of Witton Country Park, to the west of Blackburn. A levels are ...
References
External links
Witton Country Park
o
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council website
Footage from the 2011 Race for Life event
{{Blackburn with Darwen geography
Parks and commons in Blackburn with Darwen
Country parks in Lancashire