Best Local Parks and Gardens in Nottingham

Exploring Nottingham’s Lovely Parks and Gardens

Nottingham has a great variety of parks and gardens that offer a nice break from the busy city life. These local gems are perfect for nature lovers, families, and those who enjoy outdoor activities. Take a stroll, relax, and experience the charming green spaces that Nottingham has to offer.

Bramcote Hills Park

This is the largest park in the Borough, and it has been awarded a Green Flag for the last 12 years. Bramcote Hills Park has a large number of events throughout the year including the annual Hemlock Happening, fun fairs, arts, and sports events. There are numerous places of interest to visit including:

Bramcote Hills House: The House was built in 1805 and was set in a position to take advantage of the natural terrain with views out to the surrounding countryside. It was demolished in the 1960’s. Part of the building’s footprint has been restored.

Holocaust Memorial Garden: Created in late 2000, the garden was officially opened on 27 January 2001. It contains a striking statue created by Naomi Blake, herself a survivor of the holocaust. It is complimented by a series of information panels and a backdrop of plants that were chosen to provide colour and form at the time of the annual reflection ceremony. A memorial service is held in the garden every year in late January.

Open Park Land: This is an area comprising over 250 mature trees, many of which are significant because of their age and size. The parkland includes a children’s play area, trim trail, cycle route, tree trail and car park.

Walled Garden: This is the most recent development in the park and includes:

Interactive Sundial maze for families and children. Icehouse, has been restored to reveal its unique qualities. An interpretation board at the entrance explains how such structures were used for food storage. Footings of Dairy Cottage/Gardener’s Cottage. These were original park buildings that eventually fell into a state of disrepair. The retained footings and interpretation boards explain their heritage.

Arnot Hill Park

The iconic feature of the park, Arnot Hill House, was also the birthplace of Thomas Hawksley, known as one of the greatest water engineers of the nineteenth century. A new memorial statue, in his honour, is planned for the park

Arnot Hill Park has been awarded the Green Flag for the best open space/parklands. It’s not difficult to see why as it boasts a magnificent lake with a fountain and an ornate rose garden.

The park has a bowling green and pavilion, skate park, ball courts, rose garden and a privately ran cafe on site.

Arts Trail

Arnot Hill Park is also home to an arts trail comprised of over twenty wood carvings, murals, ceramic pieces, and mosaics. The artwork has been produced by professional artists working alongside community groups and schools from the across the borough.

Arnot Hill Park is located on the edge of Arnold Town Centre and is a great place to enjoy a walk and for the kids to play on the new adventure playground. Inside the park, you can also visit Lake View Cafe for a delightful selection of hot drinks, cakes and more while enjoying a beautiful view out over the lake.

There are nearby bus stop both towards and from Nottingham City Centre, and towards and from Calverton. There are also buses from Carlton and Clifton that stop near the park.

Address: Arnold Town Centre, at Arnot Hill Park, Nottingham Road, Arnold, Nottingham, NG5 6LU

The Mill Lakes

The Mill lakes are an area of outstanding beauty and provide a variety of wildlife habitats. The lakes have a regular resident bird flock but are also visited by migrant species, so it is not unusual to see various waders or overflying raptors as well as more exotic species of duck.

These 20th Century lakes follow the course of the River Leen which fed the Robinsons cotton mills, on which these Leen Valley mills depended for their power, along with former colliery ponds.

The Robinsons were very vulnerable to interruption in the water supply as the river was quite small. After a dispute, in the 1700’s, the fifth Lord Byron, who controlled the source of the River Leen, which flows from the Robin Hood Hills just north of the Newstead Abbey estate, dammed the river on his property but an injunction against him forced him to give way.

The lakes area is used by walkers, cyclists, birdwatchers, and dog walkers and is an ideal place to bring the family. It is possible to walk to Hucknall from the lakes or into the country park via a footbridge thereby avoiding the roads.

There is no fishingor swimming allowed in Mill Lakes. These rules are to protect the native wildlife from disturbance, and it is for that reason they also ask you to always keep your dogs out of the water and under control.

There is no parking available for the lakes, but they are within easy walking distance of the Bestwood Village car park for the Country Park.

Highfields Park

In 1920 the Highfields Estate was purchased by the founder of Boots and Co Ltd, Sir Jesse Boot, who conveyed the site for the foundation of the East Midlands University, now known as the University of Nottingham.

Since 1921 Highfields Park has remained the home of The University of Nottingham with the original Highfields House being absorbed into the campus as a staff annexe.

A major element of the park design was the extension of the original ‘fishpond’ to form the existing Boating Lake. The area around the original rock outcrop was left virtually untouched along with most of the pond, apart from the construction of some stone retaining walls around the water’s edge. Tottle Brook was diverted to by-pass the Boating Lake and leave the Park via a culvert under the Boulevard.

Boating Lake The boating lake is open seasonally (April – September) every year, and visitors can hire a canoe or rowing boat and enjoy a relaxing sail on the calm waters of this beautiful lake. Boating Lake opening times: 10:30 am – 7 pm.

Adventure Golf Highfields Park is now home to a brand new 18-hole adventure golf course in a relaxed and peaceful environment

Foot Golf 9 holes of fun awaits! Football and golf combined into one family-friendly activity. The aim is to kick the football into the hole with as few shots as possible. Rules Play in teams of 2 up to teams of 4. The winner is the person who finishes the course with the fewest shots.

Croquet The Nottingham Croquet Club first played in Highfields Park in 1929 on lawns between the boating lake and University Boulevard, screened from the road by the rhododendrons. Croquet is a game of skill played on grass with mallets, balls, and hoops, on equal terms by people of all ages.

Titchfield Park

Titchfield Park was created when the Duke of Portland gave 11 acres of land, then known as Caddow Park, to the town of Hucknall in 1914, in honour of the 21st birthday of his son, The Marquis of Titchfield. A further 13 acres were added when the Hucknall Miners Welfare Committee decided to further the development of Titchfield Park from funds raised to provide facilities for the local miners.

The park contains two listed monuments and an original shelter designed by local architect T.C. Howitt, who also designed the Council House in Nottingham.

The war memorial situated in Titchfield Park is similar in design to the cenotaph in London, being a massive structure of blocks of Portland stone with a smaller second tier. There is a cross on the front of the memorial and a bronze plaque and a bronze plaque on the back.

The stone corner posts also support two bronze plaques each, upon which are listed the names of the fallen of World War I.

At the Park, there are many things of interest such as lawn bowls within the lovely park setting, the Brook and wildflower meadow and bee garden, and a lovely Café.

So, there you have it! These are just a few of the many parks and gardens that Nottingham has to offer. While you’re out and about enjoying these beautiful green spaces, remember that Home Instead is here to support you and your loved ones with a range of care services tailored to your needs. Our dedicated Care Professionals can assist with outings, care, companionship, and local transport, ensuring that you and your family can continue to make the most of life in Nottingham.