Buile Hill Park, Salford

A couple of weeks ago, we took full advantage of a sunny day and visited a park we’ve never been to before. Buile Hill Park in Salford is right in the heart of the city, but you wouldn’t know it.

There are two play areas at Buile Hill Park. One full of brightly coloured metal structures including a see-saw, climbing frame, swings and even a zip wire! I couldn’t really take a photo of it though because we weren’t the only family visiting the park that day – it was heaving with children! Luckily for us, the smaller wooden play area was much more our kind of thing anyway – and we were the only ones on it. With monkey bars, a rope climbing structure and balance bars the boys spent a good hour swinging, climbing and falling off the equipment!

Buile Hill Park has a truly rich history. It belonged to the first major of Manchester, Thomas Potter, who left his estate to the nation when he died. The park is said to have been visited by L.S. Lowry as well as being the place where The Secret Garden was written by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

 

 

 

As much as the boys enjoy swinging, jumping and hanging around, there’s only one thing Louis will be doing after the first five minutes in a park …

 

The children weren’t the only ones having a lovely day, either. The dogs quite enjoyed their day at Buile Hill Park too. There were quite a few people with dogs out that day and Dora, my sister’s Miniature Schnauzer, made a new friend and wasn’t keen on leaving!

 

There is a building within the grounds of the park which was once a beautiful mansion but is now in desperate need of a lot of love. It has served not only as a home but also as an army barracks, a natural history museum and a mining museum. I feel quite sad really to see it in the state it’s currently in, and I’d love to see inside, or more accurately I’d love to have been able to see it in it’s former glory. The most recent information I can find is that planning permission was granted to transform the building into a hotel, though that was back in 2008 so I’m assuming that plan didn’t go ahead. I hope that one day Buile Hill Park will regain its magnificent hall.

 

There are also tennis courts in the park grounds, and outdoor gym and extensive grassy areas too, where of course Louis played yet more football.

 

 

As lovely as the park is, there is definitely room for improvement, as is the case with most parks these days. It used to have a pets corner which is no longer there, there is scope for a cafe perhaps too. Unfortunately, these things just always boil down to funds – of lack thereof – which is a real shame.

We’ll be revisiting Buile Hill Park in the very near future because it is a place with a charm of it’s own; a real hidden gem in a busy city. Hopefully one day it will reach its full potential and I’ll be able to come back here and tell you how happy I am!