Abington Park

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Abington Park, in the Abington district of Northampton, has lakes, aviaries, and a museum, as well as trees and grassy open spaces.

The hangings of the first witches in 1612 were believed to have taken place at crossroads in Abington Park.

Land for the park was given to the town by Lady Wantage in 1892 and the park was opened to the public in 1897. Two years later, in 1899, Abington Museum was opened in the centre of the park.

The museum was originally a manor house and William Shakespeare's granddaughter, Elizabeth Bernard nee Elizabeth Hall, once lived there (she is buried in the nearby church). Her second marriage was to Sir John Bernard or Barnard.

Abington Park is home to the annual Green Festival, Kite Festival and occasional fairs. It used to be the venue for the annual 'Folk in the Park' festival until it moved to Delapre Park.

There is usually a selection of brass band, concert band, folk or jazz music to be heard on the bandstand on Sunday afternoons throughout the summer, provided by local groups.

The Park also hosts a small tearoom called The Park Café (formerly known as the 'The Old Oak'), which has been under ownership of Tony Ansell since 1981.

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