Christchurch Park

A sneak peek at some of the outstanding artwork by Duane Pugh which will feature in David Miller's new book 'Christchurch Park & Ipswich Arboretum: Souvenir & Guide' which will be launched at the Reg Driver Visitor Centre on Sat 13 October. This magnificent Sweet Chestnut is probably over 500 years old and has a trunk circumference at 1.5 metres of 27 feet!

Join the Suffolk Bat Group for this popular event discovering the many species of bats in the park. Numbers are limited - please book at the Reg Driver Centre.

Join the Suffolk Bat Group for this popular event discovering the many species of bats in the park. Numbers are limited - please book at the Reg Driver Centre.

"Happy" - an appropriate encore from the Woodbridge Excelsior Band, rounding off the 2018 series of concerts!

Great way to spend Sunday afternoon. Sunshine or shade, ice cream, and an excellent concert of traditional and contemporary tunes! Join us again next week for Ipswich Hospital Band.

Green Flag Award! Many thanks for the continued efforts of park staff and volunteers. #loveyourpark

history on our doorstep - this day in 1919 . . . The planting of an oak for Peace Day. take a moment to think about the people of Ipswich then - a few months after the end of the Great War.

Reg Snook writes for us again this week. You can read about our magnificent Suffolk hedgerows, New Zealand's astonishing plan 'to kill every rat' in the country, and Reg's misspent youth! Click on the image below, then read on...

Good morning - Christchurch Park

Park user Tricia writes: "Does anyone know where I can get a copy of a quiz/trail around Christchurch park? A long time ago I did this with my Guide Company but can't find a copy - I know one of the questions was about the ice house and the rest took you around all parts of the park."
Can anyone help Tricia?

Free concert on the Arboretum Lawn featuring Woodbridge Excelsior Band sponsored by Woodbridge Antiques Centre

Free concert on the Upper Arboretum Lawn with Ipswich Hospital Band sponsored by Gotelee Solicitors

Free concert by Castleton Brass sponsored by Coes of Ipswich

Free concert on the Arboretum lawn featuring Ipswich Community Wind Band. sponsored by a generous friend of the park

For one hour only this book will be available to purchase at a special discount of 50% for £5. David Miller (author), Liz Cutting (photographer), Anthony Cobbold (Foreword), Erika Bűlow-Osborne and Duane Pugh (artists) will all be available to sign copies.

We love the park. We got married in the Mansion and we all as a family attend the park a lot. Went to Music in the Park as we always do and had a great time. However I do wish that people would mind where they leave their rubbish only for a 6year old to pick it up. We received sincerest apologies from park patrol for said offending item which is fair enough, and they were doing a super job, however that could have been a very dangerous situation. Thankfully that was avoided and all is well.

We absolutely love visiting Christchurch park, especially spotting wildlife in the wilderness pond and the nature reserve. The kids play area is well maintained and great for both slightly older kids and tiny ones. The only problem is usually getting them to leave when it's home time!

The Fireworks in the Park evening was enjoyed by my young daughter and me.

The entrance was trouble free.

A dance troupe of younger people was the first thing to view. These youngsters provided a very entertaining display.

Walking up the path there were various tomb stones, some with zombies sitting or lying motionless. Very entertaining. There was also a few standing rigid on the walkway. These actors were incredible. Not straying from their lifeless performance. Credit to them all.

On the top of the incline a stage was seen. There various acts singing and dancing. Then a play was offered describing why Guy Fawkes is renown in U.K. Folk Law. Well done the performers

The fireworks were astonishing the background music was good. Low frequency was astounding. However, I felt the music was random for the visual firework display.

After the sky had darkened from the brilliant pyrotechnics the stage performances continued. By this time the temperature was below 5C. These singing and dancing groups provided an excellent ending for the evening. Their routines were wonderful.

The organisers should be proud of such a professional evening. Well done. Looking forward to 2017.

Really lovely to see the continuation of good Free music events in our park, it's been a lovely summer so far and great to see so many people out enjoying the events put on at the park.

Really enjoyed my online visit to your park (from glasgow!) thank you. As a child in the 60s I used to visit Suffolk & Essex regularly in summer holidays. Colchester, Sudbury, Lavenham, Flatford, Dedham, and the East Anglian coast. I noticed Radio Suffolk online and it led me to Christchurch Park. Interesting facebook page - lovely to meet Mabel the Owl and to see how active everyone is in looking after your park. We are very involved in protecting our local Kelvingrove Park here and it's really good to realise that people all over Britain are taking care of their parks as you do.

Ruth.

My favourite place. Our backgarden �

Lovely place to visit and the mansion too, love the walks where all the squirrels are and various birds to spot as well.

Love Christchurch Park, been to several events and they are always well organised and fab days out. Love the ducks too!

Ipswich seems to be put down compared to Norwich but the park and surrounding roads are so beautiful and extremely civilised, far more so than most areas of Norwich that I know. The park is stunning and quite undulating with woods, hills and magnificent trees. An advantage is that 97% of visitors/ users are also civilised!

I'd like to thank the individual responsible for park patrol. Yesterday my son left an expensive Barbour coat and jumper on the goal post at Cherry Tree play area. The warden handed it in to the Reg Driver centre at Chrisrchurch. We were so relieved and grateful, it was an expensive coat and we thought someone may have taken it. Thank you for the brilliant correspondence, even on a Sunday afternoon.

I walked through the park this morning and everyone I passed, smiled and said hello. Just a perfect start to the day.

I love this park. great place to take the dogs and so many beautiful things to see. Great play area for youngsters that is all fenced in with 1 entrance/exit gate. full of different trees,birds and people this is the place to explore.

Christchurch is a beautiful park? Welcoming to all, all year round. It is used extensively used especially this time of the year with the beautiful weather and Ipswich Borough Council's Ip-Art events, including open cinemas, music festival, multicultural events, etc.



It has a lovely play area for kids and 2 duck ponds, an arboretum and tennis courts, well worth a visit!

Another great Music on the park day yesterday, always good.

We spend a great deal of time on the park throughout the year, lovely place.

A big shout out for everyone who organises/permits/enjoys events in Christchurch Park. Still can't believe I'm lucky enough to live in a place with so much, well organised, entertainment. Huge thank you from me.

Where have all the bins gone?! No dog poo bins anywhere ...

Park is always good. Lots of space. But queued at both ice cream vendors only to be told when I got to window that the ice cream machines weren't working. Perhaps a sign might of helped.

Did the 'Fake Festival' in the park yesterday. Only bothered to watch the Oasis & Queen tribute bands, not because the support acts were bad, but the last two tribute acts fitted better with me. Both were very good and can be recommended. Problems came on leaving the venue, where was the exit??? People, leaving early were wandering about, in the dark, phone torches on, seeking a way out! What would have been wrong with some 'exit' signs? Come to that, on arrival in the park why not a few signs showing where to go (also sadly lacking)

The park is beautiful , gorgeous ponds and lots of places to explore with my little girl. The beach at the park is brill! But then the school

Holidays hit and now the park just seems to be full of litter and teenagers doing drugs everywhere !!!! Using less and less , Shame.