Thursday 22nd October 10:30am – Cuerden Valley Visitors Centre, berkeley Drive, Bamber Bridge, PR5 6BY
This former large estate covered much of east Leyland and was owned by the Towneley-Parker family, son and daughter of Susanna and Thomas of Astley Park, Chorley. It is one of a very few such country estates to survive in the industrialised part of Lancashire. The mansion was built by Lewis Wyatt, occupied by the military during and after wartime, then occupied by the Sue Ryder foundation; it is now a private home again, undergoing much restoration. The parkland, lake and walled garden are now owned by the Cuerden Valley Park Trust which runs activities with an enthusiastic volunteer group, to include the cultivation of fruit and vegetables in the walled garden. There are picturesque riverside walks and an interesting Victorian arboretum.
The heritage manager, Andrew Suter, will accompany us on a guided walk and bring us up-to-date on the park’s progress. He will welcome a donation to CVPT.
We meet at 10.30 on Thursday 22nd October; parking is in the Berkeley Drive carpark (payment required) and we walk to the café.
Paths are mostly gravel, as shown on the site map displayed on their website Cuerden Valley Park.https://cuerdenvalleypark.org/the-park/find-us/