History of Bestwood Country Park

The present day Bestwood Country Park is situated just four miles from the centre of Nottingham, on the edge of Bestwood Village, between the B686 Papplewick road and the A60 Nottingham – Mansfield route. The park and surrounding area was once a hunting preserve of some 3,711 acres, part of the medieval Sherwood Forest which covered large areas of Nottinghamshire.

Early history

The park was enclosed in 1351 and used by the English monarchy for their royal entertainments. In 1681, Charles II leased Bestwood Lodge and its grounds to Nell Gwynne, his mistress, arranging later in 1687 for Nell’s mortgage to be paid off and bestowing on Nell’s son the hereditory title of Duke of St. Albans.

During 1858, the 10th Duke of St. Albans had the old lodge house demolished and replaced with a grand and ornate building. Alexandra Lodge, presently used by the Park Ranger Service, was built as a park gatehouse in 1877. The late 1880s also saw the rapid growth of the Bestwood Colliery within the park, followed later by iron smelting. Coal production eventually ceased in 1967.

From private estate to public amenity

In 1985, Gedling Borough Council and ourselves pooled the land under their ownership to make a total of 670 acres. This was designated Bestwood Country Park, and the site remains under their joint management.

Many improvements to park amenities were carried out, such as the creation of car parking, toilets and an onsite field studies centre. An extensive network of signed footpaths and horse trails was established, as well as a detailed wood and park management plan. The adjacent Mill Lakes, reedbeds and ancient water meadows were sensitively managed and restored, and part of the National Cycle Network route now runs through them. The former colliery site and the pit tip were completely relandscaped and important conservation areas were also designated within the park.

Bestwood Lodge became a privately owned hotel, but its landscaped gardens were incorporated into the park. The picturesque Alexandra Lodge, after extensive restoration, was allocated as a base for the Country Park Ranger Service, which manages the park and organises its extensive events programme. May 1996 saw the culmination of work between County Council and local volunteers in phase one of the restoration of Bestwood Park’s colliery winding engine house, which has been preserved as a working monument to Bestwood’s industrial past.

Bestwood today

The park today receives over 400,000 visitors annually, who enjoy Bestwood’s wide range of natural features and diverse wildlife habitats, including wood, heath and grassland, ponds, lakes and wetland. The park contains 20 out of 24 key habitats, 8 of which are nationally important, as listed in the Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Plan. To access the County Council’s Biodiversity website, visit: www.nottsbag.org.uk