Cleadon Park

Facilities

• Pavilion
• Play area
• Tennis court

History

In medieval times the land around Cleadon Park was associated with land owned by Harton and Cleadon Manors. It was likely to have been used as farmland.

The history of the park is closely tied to the industrial heritage of the area - quarrying, ownership by glass manufacturer and lime kilns.

The land was once owned by a local coal merchant, James Kirkley, who commissioned the design of the existing park. 

Cleadon Park Mansion was once his home.

The original building was an old farm house, which was converted into a mansion in the classical style by John Dobson in 1845. It was very large, standing in its own grounds surrounded by trees.

After 1907 James Kirkley hired architects JH Morton & Son to create a new palm house, tropical plant house, terrace and formal gardens.

In the Dell there is a perfect example of a Victorian tiered garden, which is very rare.

Cleadon Park Manson eventually became Cleadon Park Hospital and later a Sanatorium. The building was demolished in 1981.

Part of the park included Cleadon Quarry, which had its own lime kilns. The quarry was out of use by 1855 and the lime kilns slightly later, in 1895.

Cleadon Park has been a public park since 1918, after the Council bought the land from the Ministry of Health.

The former Cleadon Quarry was filled in and levelled to provide ground for the football pitches.

In 2011, the Friends of Cleadon Park were awarded £40,000 from the Big Lottery Community Spaces Fund for improvements within the park. £50,000 was also received from the government's Playbuilder Programme to improve the play area.