How to Find Us

Queen's Park is located near the Swindon Town Centre, with the main entrances being off Drove Road and York Road. There is also an entrance off Groundwell Road, and at the bottom of Durham Street.

There is no designated carparking for Queen's Park, so please use public transport or public car parking facilities available in the town centre

Opening Times

Queen's Park is open every weekday and Saturday at 7.30am, and on Sundays and Bank Holidays at 9.00am. The park gates will be closed half an hour before sunset.

The Park

Queen’s Park covers an approximate area of 12 acres or 5 hectares. The lake area covers approx 2 acres (0.8ha). The park as a whole had to be acquired in stages by the Borough Counci,l between 1947 and 1962.

Queen’s Park is considered by English Heritage to be of sufficient historic interest, that in 2001 it was placed on the ‘Register of Parks & Gardens’ as a grade II site. It is said to represent an example of a public park laid out in the immediate post war years and developed further in the early 1960’s.

The park was designed to reflect the a modern informality of the 1960’s, rather than the Victorian splendor and formality of Town Gardens. The aim was to create a garden where cultivated plants and trees can be grown in natural surroundings with an atmosphere of freedom and space. The non-symmetrical planting of trees and shrubs has created a park with many hidden facets characterised by it's glades and vistas.

Today Queen's Park holds an impressive collection of ornamental trees and shrubs.

The Memorial Garden

History

The Evening Advertiser started the Swindon Disease Memorial Appeal in April 2002. It quickly raised £12,000 in donations from local businesses and the people of Swindon with an additional contribution from Swindon Borough Council. Queen's Park was chosen as the most suitable location for the Mesothelioma Memorial Garden, and work began on constructing the garden in October 2002.

The garden was officially opened by the Mayor of Swindon, Councillor Stan Pajak, on Tuesday, 8th April 2003.

Community Involvement

The Evening Advertiser have been involved with keeping the public and the sponsers informed of the garden's progress from the outset, and the garden has been created with the help of the Mesothelioma Support group, chaired by Angela Findlay.

Design Philosophy

The Memorial Garden has been designed as a place for quiet contemplation. The water feature provides noise and movement, and the plants have been selected to provide year round interest.

Two types of surface have been used, riven paving stones and paddlestones, with planting that will eventually spill over onto the surfacing and soften the edges.The pergola will provide dappled shade in the summer and a tranquil place to sit and reflect.The memorial feature is a local sarsen stone with a plaque depicting the final two lines of Shakespeare's 30th sonnet:

"But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, all losses are restored and sorrows end"

Want to find out more?

If you would like to find out more about the park, or are thinking of visiting why not open up, or print off the pdf files below,

park_information_and_pictures.pdf

park_site_plan_.pdf