It is so easy to overlook the little outdoor spaces that are near you and Foxdenton Hall Park was one of those spaces for me. I have hear of it, probably even driven past it and have had it in my awareness for quite a long time. But we had never visited. Even though it is just literally down the road.
So when we were looking for somewhere to explore on the weekend I let it pop up on the list. We decided to head over to Chadderton to have a browse and to see what Foxdenton Hall Park was like.
We had some errands to run, so decided to swing by as we were going about our day to make sure we got some extra outdoor time and got to explore somewhere new too.
Parking
There is a good sized car park over the road from Foxdenton Hall, which is free, so it makes it nice and easy to get to when you’re passing by doing some errands. (No excuses for not going for a wander in the fresh air!)
Just simply cross the road to the beautiful gates on the other side and head into the park. There is a restriction to less than four dogs per person, just so you’re aware if you have more.
The path from the gate leads you around past the tennis courts, a lovely lake with a fountain and towards a grand looking building. The building is Foxdenton Hall.
Foxdenton Hall
The hall itself has been rebuilt twice since the original building in the early 1400’s and it was eventually taken over by local authority in the mid 20th century and the grounds turned into a public park. There are 5.2 hectares of land, but on our visit a lot of it was cordoned off for water works. The poor hall looks to have seen a little bit of vandalism and is seeing age in places, which is sad. But we did see a sign explaining that the ‘Friends’ are doing some fund raising to help keep it (and the other outbuildings I would hope) going.
Historical surprise
Not knowing a great deal about the park of Foxdenton Hall, I was surprised to discover a blue plaque on the side of the building. On closer inspection, I learned that the hall was once the family home of Lydia Ernestine Becker who played a key role in the campaign for suffragette – she founded the National Society for Women’s Suffragette.
The more I find out about the east and north of the city, the more I find that there was a great deal of importance up this way. Even though this side of the city might seem a little forgotten at times, the history is still there when you look for it.
Virtual Mini Tour
If you’d love to see more, I am in the process of making some mini tour videos of the places that I post about! It is fun to find ways to help inspire you to get outside exploring and think that video might be the way forward – take a watch and let me know what you think.
The back of the Hall
Around the back of the hall is a bowling green, sensory garden and a beautiful expansive lawn which was covered in leaves for our wander. I can certainly vouch that Foxdenton Hall park is gorgeous in autumn with the carpet of leaves to crunch your feet through.
As you can see there is a lot of ground around the hall so perfect for playing and picnics.
From the back of the hall you follow the path around to a small picnic areas with views over the surrounding fields and a little further round you are at the huge football field. It was great to see some girls out playing on the pitch when we were there as the park was really quiet.
Woodland walk
As you head back up to the lake from the football field, you get to enjoy a wander through the woodland walk. Carpeted in leaves and sheltered by the trees it is a lovely place to take in the squirrels and birds going about their business. This is also the best place to have some fun in the crunchy, crinkly leaves!
As you can see to the side, there is extensive work going on in the area at the moment, which makes the part a bit smaller than usual, but I imaging it will be back to full capacity after the winter. There is enough to keep you going for up to 45 minutes though! Unless you’re playing football, bowling or jumping around in leaves too then you could be here for a lot longer.
So if you’re looking for somewhere new to get out and abut this weekend, why not check out Foxdenton Hall Park! I think it is going to be a chilly but cloudy weekend, so just make sure you wrap up warm, take some layers and bring along a picnic to enjoy in the beautiful setting.
I’m in the midst of planning my weekend adventures too – any tips greatly received!
Remember to get outside for a bit today too, there’s loads to see and do!
Have you ever visited Foxdenton Hall Park? Which is your favourite park to spend time in? What is the best bit about it?
Let me know in the comments below 😀
Address: Foxdenton Hall Park, Springs Rd, Chadderton, Oldham OL9 9QS
Features: Free parking, hard paths, play area, bowling greens, sensory garden, tennis courts, wildlife, woodland walk, lots of seating, picnic areas, lakes, dog friendly (less than 4 per person)
Bus from Manchester: 182 towards Wren’s Nest from Chatsworth House (stop F) getting off at The Sportsman Pub on Broadway then walking to the Hall
Foxdenton Hall Park
Map to Foxdenton Hall Park