Covering 108 hectares of land in northern Bristol, Stoke Park’s history dates back to the 14th-century when it was a state-of-the-art medieval structure for rabbit hunting.
The Park, which spreads across Lockleaze and into South Gloucestershire, was part of The King’s Farm until it was granted to Osbern Gifard by William the Conqueror.
The estate was confiscated in 1327 after his descendant, John Gifard, died a rebel-in-arms. It was kept as a dowry by Margaret Gifard until she died in 1338, and Maurice Berkeley gained possession of the estate.
Sir Richard Berkeley extended Stoke Gifford’s estate by buying land in Stapleton after the dissolution of the monasteries and began building a new manor house on the present Stoke Park site in 1563.
From 1750 onwards, Thomas Wright, an English astronomer, mathematician, instrument maker, architect and garden designer, was largely involved in the layout of the garden at Stoke Park, and so, had a permanent apartment in the estate and continued to visit and advise long after Botetourt died in 1770, when the estate passed to the Beaufort family, through his sister’s marriage.
In 1907, the 10th Duke of Beaufort sold the estate to the Reverend Harold Nelson Burden, who converted the house to serve as the nucleus of a hospital for the mentally troubled.
On 1 April 1909, the Stoke Park Colony opened and became the pioneer research establishment into mental illness, the first such institution to be certified under the Mental Health Act of 1913, and remained open until 1997.
The park also served as a hospital for wounded World War II soldiers and the location of a gun battery, whose concrete remains can still be seen on the western edge of the park.
Nowadays, the park is owned and managed by Bristol County Council as a resource for local communities and a site of nature conservation interest: a protected area of importance to wildlife.
Here are 15 photos from our visit to Stoke Park and Purdown:
1. Purdown history
The information board found by one of the entrances to the Purdown Heavy Anti-Aircraft battery gives some background to the history of the area. Key dates include: the Battery became operational in November 1939, the conversion to a permanent reinforced concrete and brick-built battery in June 1940, the site being decommissioned in mid-1946, and the site becoming a scheduled monument in 1985. | Adriana Amor
2. The Dower House
Set on a hill above the M32 motorway, the house was built in 1553 by Sir Richard Berkeley and was also used as part of the Stoke Park Hospital until 1985, when it was converted into flats. | Adriana Amor
3. Radio tower
Built in 1970, the telecommunications tower is Grade II-listed and visible from much of the city. It featured in the opening sequence of the TV series Skins (2008). | Adriana Amor
4. Map
A map of the estate was found next to the entrance by Sir John's Lane. It includes viewpoints, key monuments, accessible paths and access points as well as the location of suggestions of how historic structures could have looked. | Adriana Amor