Address: Chancery Lane, Retford, Nottinghamshire, DN22 6DF.
Opening Times: Kings Park is open to the public every day, 365 days a year.
Contents
- An award winning park
- Gardens, features and facilities
- Involving the community
- A brief history of Kings' Park
- Management plan
An Award Winning Park
The Green Flag Award
Since 2008 the Park has proudly achieved the prestigious Green Flag Award.
The Green Flag Award scheme is managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
The award is reassessed on an annual basis to ensure it maintains its status as one of the best parks to visit.
In addition Kings Park also continues to receive wider recognition and awards both locally and nationally for the high levels of standards and visitor experience it offers to all.
The Park was a recent winner of the North Notts Business Awards for Best Tourist Attraction in 2022. Other awards have also included: UK’s Best Park 2019 East Midlands Winner.
Kings Park was crowned the Regional Winner of the UK’s Best Park 2019. A total of 17 local parks and green spaces were nominated and then championed by park users, communities, Friends of groups, landowners and elected representatives as part of the public vote.
The park first received this national recognition award in 2007 when once again it was chosen as regional winner.
In the People's Choice Award for 2013 (organised by The Keep Britain Tidy Charity), Kings Park was voted Britain's 5th Favourite Green Space/Park. In achieving this status our premier green space beat off extremely stiff competition within a group of 1,448 elite Green Flag Site Winners.
Green Flag's Special Award for Innovation 2017
Each year Green Flag celebrate the very best innovations across Green Flag-awarded sites with their Special Innovation Award.
The Council used Local Democracy Week to consult with local schools within Retford. The school children were presented with three different concepts on the splash park design and through the process of voting were able to choose which type of facility they would like.
This gave the children a valuable opportunity to discover and learn more about democracy within society, how to conduct a ballot to vote and how to decide upon a preferred design based on a majority vote.
The park's new Water Splash Park is now in place and has proved to be a huge success, meeting the expectations and needs of the local community along with the many visitors it attracts to the park.
Plus the installation has given local children an opportunity to have their say and learn more about democracy and how it works within society by conducting their own ballot. And provided the Council with a different way forward on the decision-making process for similar projects in the future.
Gardens, features and facilities
Located in the very heart of Retford, award-winning Kings' Park is often described as the 'Jewel in the Crown’ of the Council’s green spaces.
Covering an area of over 10 hectares, the park is divided into two parts by the River Idle, which provides a scenic backdrop for people using the facility. The park has many features and facilities including:
- Children's Water Play Area* (Open May - September)
- Bowling Green*
- Tennis Courts x2*
- Multi-Use Games Area
- Skate Park
- Play Area
- New Performance Stage
- Rose Garden
- Community Garden
- Wildlife Garden
- Formal Gardens
- Kiosk/Public Conveniences*
*Seasonal
Parkland to the east of the River (Formal Gardens)
This area of the park is an ideal setting for relaxation and passive recreational pursuits. It boasts various types of specimen trees from different regions of the world, as well as neatly kept hedges, regularly mown lawns, impressive water features and flower beds.
Here you will find the various formal gardens laid out in a traditional parkland landscape including a stunning rose garden planted with a wide range of colourful, highly scented roses and lavender with climbing rose varieties supported on ornate metal archways leading into the centre of the garden. Next to this garden is the limestone rock and water garden with its very own waterfall feature cascading over the rocks into the pond area.
The park’s refurbished tennis courts are available for informal use free of charge throughout the summer months.
The Community Garden is found behind the Goodhall Hall building on the Chancery Lane boundary of the park. Accessible by the riverside path through the park it incorporates patio-cum-seating with raised beds and trellis work for climbing plants. There is also a large circular paved section with seating surrounded by mixed planting and an impressive winter border that adds to this garden feature adjacent to the arboretum area of the park. The garden provides an opportunity for both users of the Hall and visitors alike to meet and relax within a quiet and colourful garden environment.
Parkland to the west of the River (West Retford Hall side)
In contrast to the Formal Gardens, the parkland to the west of the river opened as an extension much later – in 1960 – and caters for younger visitors.
The park includes a children’s play area with a range of challenging and stimulating play equipment along with the more traditional items of equipment such as swings, slides and roundabouts for children of all ages.
In August 2016 the park celebrated the opening of a new children’s water and sand play area next to the existing play area incorporating a pirate ship, water cannons and jets, hanging buckets and sand play.
Please note that this facility is seasonal and will re-open daily between 10:00am and 6:00pm from May to September.
Take the opportunity to enjoy some light refreshments or maybe an ice cream or hot/cold drink from the park’s new kiosk. Open most days during the summer months from April to September the kiosk also offers access to the toilet facilities.
For older children and young people a separate bespoke concrete skateboard park facility and multi-use ball court can be found on the area between Inkerbridge Bridge (Pelham Street) and Carr Bridge (West Street). The area is known as 'Retford Skate Park'.
Multi-Use Performance Area
The multi use performance area was opened in 2017 providing a modern and bespoke facility that has become a popular venue for staging various events and shows within the park.
The concept and design was supported by the Retford Civic Society who successfully applied for a £20k grant from Nottinghamshire County Council's Supporting Local Communities towards the costs of building the canopy.
Designed to be functional, robust and add interest to the park. The performance area has been located to maximise the best views of the area in an amphitheatre setting. It was purposely built to be versatile and led itself to any type of performance has become a regular venue for the hugely successful annual “Panto in the Park” shows held through the summer months.
In August 2023 we officially celebrated the opening of our new multi-use Performance Area.
The Retford Civic Society successfully applied for a £20k grant from Nottinghamshire County Council's Supporting Local Communities towards the costs of building the canopy.
The Wildlife Garden
Although found in the parkland to the west of the river, the Wildlife Garden with its impressive habitats requires a separate mention and is always worth a visit, whatever the time of year.
The Wildlife Garden is home to an impressive array of birds and wildlife, including Nuthatches, Thrushes and Pipistrelle Bats. You may even be lucky enough to spot Tawny Owls resting during the day or a Woodpecker flitting between the trees.
AccessAble Guide
View Accessibility Information about King's Park.
Community Involvement
Kings' Park Volunteer Gardeners
A number of valuable projects have already been carried out by the Kings Park Volunteer Squad including the planting of over 2,000 snow drops next to the River Idle (Bridgegate) entrance to the park, wildlife projects, maintaining the Rose Garden, community litter picks and assisting with orienteering sessions. The volunteers normally meet on a monthly basis and new members are always welcome to join the group. If you are interested in helping then please see the information sheet contained on this webpage.
Educational Visits and Project
We are also able to offer help and assistance to schools or playgroups visiting any of our sites and give support to projects that can often be brought to life outside the classroom environment.
Purple Crocus for 'End Polio Now'
A project with Retford Rotary Club led to the planting of 10,000 purple crocus around the woodland area of Goodwin Hall Gardens.
One of our last community projects of 2017 was working with Retford Rotary Club, where 5,000 purple crocus around the woodland area of Goodwin Hall Gardens.
The purple crocus is a symbol of Rotary’s worldwide campaign to eradicate polio, with its colour representing the purple dye used to mark the finger of a child to indicate they have received their life saving oral polio vaccine.
Activities and events in Kings Park
Kings Park continues to host many high-profile, well-attended community events and activities. Please visit the Council’s Events Diary to see what’s happening in the park this year.
Individuals or groups interested in using the park for an event or activity can submit a request by completing the 'Hold an Event' form which can be found on this webpage.
A Brief History of Kings Park
Kings' Park was opened on June 29th 1938, to commemorate not only the reign of King George V, but also the Coronation year of King George VI.
The site for the original park occupies the land from Chancery Lane to the River Idle. This was donated by Mrs M Huntsman of West Retford Hall in 1937.
A public appeal by the Borough of East Retford at the time raised £2,000 towards the estimated cost of £8,000 (equivalent to £683,000 today) to develop the park.
In 1960 a further donation of the land by R H Williamson to the west of the River Idle allowed for an extension to the park within the former grounds of the historic West Retford Hall, which dates from 1699 and still stands outside the north-west boundary of the park.
Management Plan
Further Information on Kings' Park
A Management Plan for the Park has been produced by Bassetlaw District Council.
The Management Plan is used to:
- Assess and evaluate the current value of the park as a community facility
- Establish opportunities for future improvements to its facilities and features and formulate actions accordingly
- Monitor the management of the park in respect of its ongoing maintenance and future development potential.
The Plan also identifies how Kings Park and its management relates to broader policies and strategies at local, regional and national level.
It is also intended the Management Plan will assist the Council in its efforts to achieve Green Flag status for the park.
Last Updated on Wednesday, January 8, 2025
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