Worden Park

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Remains of the old hall, Worden Park

Worden Park is a large area of parkland situated on the outskirts of Leyland, a town in the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire, United Kingdom. It is less than a quarter of a mile away from the town centre, but it is in a peaceful and relaxed environment.

1 History
2 Features
3 Accessibity
4 Local Area
5 References
- 5.1 Cited references and notes
6 External Links

[edit] History

Folly over the Stannings weir, Shaw Brook, Worden Park

[edit] The Farington Family

The park was originally owned by the Farington Family, with Worden Hall at its centre. The area outside the house was blossoming gardens. In 1941, there was a fire in the house, and most of the hall was destroyed. What is left of the house and outbuildings can still be seen today. There is an ice house which visitors can view, a maze and a miniature railway that runs round the part of the park that is most visited.

[edit] Woodlands

There is a significant amount of woodland in the park, most of which runs along Shaw Brook, a tributary of the River Lostock.

[edit] Green Flag Status

Worden Park has been granted the prestigious Green Flag Award in 2006,^[1] and for the last ten years running.^[2] The award is given to parks and green spaces in England and Wales each year to reward the best green spaces in the country, and has been awarded annually since 1996.

[edit] Features

Miniature railway at Worden Park

Large playground with rides for children and teenagers alike
Numerous football pitches in a very good condition which are free to use by the public and are also used by Sunday League football teams as well as football training
Café
Miniature trains
Large woodland
Formal gardens
Arts & Crafts Centre

Worden Park is very popular with dog walkers, and dogs are welcomed throughout the park and there are bins around the park for disposing of dog litter. The large expanse of parkland makes it very appealing for dog walkers and the wooded area to the south of the park is a very popular walking spot for walkers and dog walkers alike. The Shaw Brook, a tributary of the River Lostock runs through the wooded area and is a safe place for dogs to swim.

[edit] Accessibity

There are two free car parks, both reached from the entrance on Worden Lane. During the busy summer months an overflow car park is opened next to the main car park.

The park is in walking distance from Tesco and the town centre.

[edit] Local Area

Worden Park is on the edge of Leyland and is surrounded on three sides by housing estates. To the north and west of Worden Park lies the Wade Hall estate, popular with low-income families and the elderly, and is home to St. Mary's Catholic Technical College which currently stands at 20th place in the Lancashire GCSE league table,^[3] and has the proud distinction of having the highest GCSE scores in Leyland. To the east of Worden Park lies the Worden Park estate, popular with medium-high income families and the elderly. The Worden Park estate is also home to Runshaw College, currently ranked at 7th place in the Lancashire A/AS Level league table,^[4] and Balshaw's Church of England High School, ranked at 32nd place in the Lancashire GCSE league table,^[5] the second highest in Leyland.