This website will give you access to information about the history of Dunwood Park, the facilities available today and it will also keep you up to date with the future events and exciting developments planned for the coming months within the News & Events section of this home page.
The sun shone and the crowds turned out to enjoy this historic day. A host of free entertainment was on offer and as these pictures show people had a wonderful time.
Pictures provided by Steve Landin of Pathways Consultancy.
Please contact the Friends of Dunwood Park at dunwoodparkfriends@gmail.com
Dunwood Park covers an area of approximately 12 hectares and lies midway
between Rochdale and Oldham. It is located one mile north of Shaw town
centre within Beal Valley. It is managed by
Oldham Countryside Service.
Here you can take part in activities such as
walking, picnicking, nature studies,
tennis and
bowls. You can discover and enjoy its wooded hillside with views across
the Beal Valley towards
Crompton Moor, Shaw, Oldham and Rochdale.
Of crucial importance for the future of Dunwood Park
is the progress
of the Heritage Lottery Fund/Big
Lottery 'Parks for People Programme' bid for the redevelopment of the park. This bid is promoted by
Oldham Borough Council and the
Friends of Dunwood
Park, and is supported by the
Dunwood Community
Partnership.
Summer 2012 Events planned - see top of the page
New Contact Details: Telephone: 01706 844787 Email: dunwoodparkfriends@gmail.com
Oldham Borough Council have agreed to provide match funding for the Lottery Bid in excess of £200,000. Click here for more details.
The AGM of the Friends of Dunwood Park was held on Thursday 21st January 2010. Read the Minutes here.
The land at Dunwood was gifted to the people of Shaw by Captain Crompton in 1911. He sought to provide a green space which could be used by the community for rest and relaxation. The local Councillors then provided the early facilities to enable his dream to be realised. In 1912 these worthies gathered to open the park to the public.
For many years Dunwood Park enjoyed the good times. A pavilion was built, and an
excellent bowling green has attracted many bowlers over the years. Tennis courts
were provided and a children’s playground added. The parkland and woodland paths
were trodden by young and old.
More recently however much of the park has fallen into disrepair and is now of
limited use. Paths have eroded reducing access to this valuable and unique
woodland. Despite the neglect Dunwood Park is held with great fondness in the
hearts of the many who, to this day, spend a significant part their youth under
(and sometimes up) the trees of Dunwood.
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Dunwood Park is a very special park and unique in this area. It begins life with
its feet firmly planted in the urban heartland of Shaw and Crompton. Its formal
design of play areas, bowling green and tennis courts provides a welcoming and
familiar feel to the entrance to the park.
Walk a little further into the park and you find a more informal parkland rising
through a narrow neck of land which soon opens out into a heavily wooded area.
Here are many pathways overlooking the valley of the river Beal which enters the
park as your path opens out into a green amphitheatre.
This wooded area is the home of many animals and birds. It is also the well
loved playground of many young people and a theatre of memories for many older
ones.
The woodland comes to an end as you exit the park. Your path has led you to a
site of the industrial history of Shaw, the Jubilee which is now maintained as a
nature reserve. From the Jubilee you can move out on a number of pathways over
Crompton Moor.
Over the last 5 years
The Friends of Dunwood Park, a community group which now has over 150
members, with the backing of the Parish Council and the Area Committee of Oldham
Council have worked with the Oldham Parks Department on a number of lottery
funded projects, Drainage has been repaired woodland paths have been improved,
repairs have been made to the pavilion roof and a new children’s play area has
been provided.
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Dunwood Park will be 100 years old in 2012. Now is the right time to restore
the heritage of this park. The
The Friends of Dunwood Park together with the Parks Department have gained
the support of Oldham Council and have jointly put forward a bid to the
Heritage Lottery Fund, labelled the
Big Lottery Bid, for the resources needed to restore the park and achieve
Green Flag status.
On 31st March 2010 we learned that the Big Lottery and Heritage Lottery had awarded £1.09 million for the planned renovation of Dunwood Park. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Below are the outline proposed plans of the development for Dunwood Park.
The first map shows the improvements planned for the Playpark, Bowling and
Tennis facilities, and the parkland. For details of the proposed community/classroom development click
here.
The second shows the proposed changes to the woodlands.
An enlarged version of these plans can be seen by clicking on the map.
