Clifton Park
The Development of Clifton Park
Clifton Park is only a few minutes from the centre of the town and there can be few towns with so nice a park in such a convenient place. Previously in private ownership, the land was purchased by the Borough in 1891 after the death of its owner and opened to the public later that year by the Prince of Wales. It has remained a favourite ever since.
Large grants have been received from the Heritage Lottery Fund so from 2008 through 2009 you will be met by bulldozers, lorries and building works. Rotherham Show is being held in Rosehill Park in 2009. In April 2010 the work has been substantially completed except for the walled garden. I had a good walk around on Sunday 25 April 2010 and frankly I was left scratching my head as to where all the vast sums of money have gone (other than on purchasing large boulders) as many areas and beds are still unweeded and tatty. I am told that RMBC have, or are going to, appoint dedicated gardeners for Clifton Park, so things may look up. They used to have dedicated gardeners, then looking after the park was farmed out to a contractor, who does not seem to have done much looking after.
The park plenty of wide open spaces for picknicking or games as well as formal gardens. The town cenotaph, bandstand and Clifton Park Museum (Visit onsite at Culture in Rotherham >> Museums >> Clifton Park Museum) are found here. Rotherham Show is held here every September - visit onsite at Recreation in Rotherham >> Rotherham Events >> Events Diary >> September Events for more details.
What has been lost? All the elm trees - Dutch Elm Disease got them. The donkeys - even when they weren't giving rides they were often in a little paddock just waiting for a fuss. The aviary - I think some vandals burnt it down or destroyed it and it was never replaced. If my memory isn't failing me I think that there was a little railway - but them that might have been another park. The café by the bowling greens has shut but there is now a café in the Museum open museum hours. Oh and the band concerts - the bandstand is still there and in the last few years has been brought back into use for Sunday afternoon concerts on some Sundays in the summer.
Unless they have been done up recently the public toilets were elderly and quite disgusting. Not quite as bad as the loos in Boston Park but the sort of lavatory that put the 'og' in bog. They are often closed which is not a lot of help. October 2004 - I strolled through the park today with the dog and both sets of bogs were firmly padlocked. There seems to be a portacabin near the children's play area which is a temporary loo but I'm not sure how often it is open. There are loos inside the Museum but its a good ten minutes hike from the play area to the Museum if Little Johnnie get caught short. I took a stroll around that end of the park in July 2006 and it looks as if the temporary loos are certainly open for longish hours in the summer.
I have always believed, indeed I could have sworn, on the Bible if need be, that this was an oak tree. Well after fifty odd years I have found that it is not............. Well what sort of tree is it, you ask? I dunno. I've been told that it is a beech tree.
Facilities
- Watersplash - this was opened in 2009 and immediately the subject of complaints. According to RMBC's website April 2010 the Clifton Park Watersplash area is currently undergoing essential maintenance on its surfacing and chlorination systems.
"We are working very hard to get this work completed as soon as possible and hope to reopen the Watersplash area in time for the summer holidays in July."
- Bowling greens.
- Tennis courts.
- Petanque court.
- Chessboard.
- Mini Golf.
- Skatepark.
- Large children's play area with slides, swings and climbing frames.
- Children's Amusements. Privately run pay and play with train, trampolines, slide, roller coaster. The amusements can be booked for school trips Tel. Philip Wheatley and Sons 07968 966407).
- Public Toilets (not always open).
- Kiosk for icecreams etc.
- Car Parking off Clifton Lane by the Museum and off Doncaster Road near the children's play area. Parking charges. The free parking in Rotherham on Sundays, and on Saturdays from 17 April 2010 does NOT apply to the car parks in Clifton Park.
Friends of Clifton Park
The aims and objectives of the Friends of Clifton Park include working towards the restoration and, management and maintenance of the park improvement of the facilities and promoting safe use of the park. Visit their website at www.cliftonpark.org.uk.