Manor Park Country Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Manor Park Country Park |
|
|---|---|
Footbridge in Manor Park Country Park
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| OS grid | TQ678571 |
| Area | 52 acres (210,000 m2) |
| Created | 1973 |
| Operated by | Kent County Council, |
| Status | Open 7 days a week, dawn until dusk |
| Parking | Paid car park |
Manor Park Country Park is a fun country park located in West Malling, Kent, England. This park is about 52-acre (210,000 m2) in size. It used to be the private gardens of a big house called Douces Manor. In 1973, Kent County Council bought the land to turn it into a public park for everyone to enjoy. It is now protected forever as a public park by a group called Fields in Trust. This is part of a special project called the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge.
Contents
Park History: From Private Garden to Public Park
Kent County Council bought Manor Park in 1973. They used money from a special grant to help pay for it. The park is 52 acres big. It used to be part of the large gardens of Douces Manor, an old house from the 1700s. This historic house is right across the street from the park.
The Douce family owned the manor until 1916. After that, it became a special home for ladies needing to recover from illness.
Douces Manor in World War II
During the Second World War, Douces Manor was very important. It was used as a place for airmen to stay and as the main office for officers flying from the nearby RAF West Malling Airfield.
Inside the house's old wine cellar, a special place called 'the Twitch Inn' was set up. Pilots named it this because they were always nervous, constantly looking out for enemy planes. You can still see the names of pilots etched into the cellar walls!
Many famous pilots visited Douces Manor. These include Sailor Malan, Stanford Tuck, Guy Gibson (who led the famous Dambusters raid), and Wing Commander John ‘Cats Eyes’ Cunningham.
Today, the Twitch Inn is a special Heritage Centre. It opens about 20 times a year and shows off items from the past, like Guy Gibson's uniform.
Exploring Manor Park: What You Can See
Manor Park is split into four main areas. These are the Lake, Douce's Meadow, Ice House Field, Abbey Field, and Chestnut Paddocks.
- The Lake: This is a large body of water that runs along St. Leonards Road. When Thomas Douce owned the manor, he made many changes. He moved the lake further away from the house and built a new road next to it. In the 1920s, the lake froze over and people used it for ice skating! The lake and its nearby woods are home to lots of water animals. You might see Mallard ducks, coots, swans, and moorhens. In summer, Martins and swallows also visit the lake.
- Douce's Meadow: This is a big, open grassy area. In the past, you could see wide views across to Douces Manor and West Malling Church from here.
- Ice House Field: This is a smaller grassy area across the lake. It gets its name from an old ice house that used to be there. An ice house was a special underground room built with bricks. People would store ice from the lake in winter so they could use it in the manor house kitchen all year long. During the Second World War, this field was used as a prison camp for German prisoners. The ice house was covered up in 1963 for safety reasons. This ice house is one of 64 known ice houses in Kent! The meadow around it has many wild plants like Dog Daisies, buttercups, and the special Hay Rattle. This small plant has yellow flowers, and its dry seeds rattle inside when you shake it.
- Abbey Field and Chestnut Paddocks: These are two larger fields on the west side of the park. Cows often graze here at different times of the year. This helps more wildlife and plants grow in the park. Chestnut Paddocks is named after a big group of old Sweet Chestnut trees in the middle of the field.
Right next to the country park is St Leonard's Tower.
The park has also hosted special events like the Kent Big Weekend. Two public walking paths, MR141 and MR142, go through the park. There are also other trails around the lake.
Manor Park has received a Green Flag Award from Natural England. This award shows that it is a well-managed and high-quality green space.
Park Location and Access
The park is located on St. Leonard's Road. It is between West Malling and Kings Hill, not far from the A228 West Malling bypass. There is a car park at the park, and you need to pay to park there.
