Christchurch Park and Mansion, Ipswich

About Christchurch Park and Mansion

An Augustinian priory stood here from the 12th century until the Dissolution. In 1545 the merchant Paul Withypoll bought the land, and his son Edmund built Christchurch Mansion between 1548 and 1550. The estate later passed to the Fonnereau family, and in the 1890s the town bought the grounds while Felix Cobbold gave the mansion. The park opened to the public in April 1895, the first in Ipswich.

Today the park covers 33 hectares close to the town centre and is on the national register of historic parks and gardens. A Heritage Lottery Fund restoration was completed in 2008. It is more parkland than flower garden, with lawns, avenues, woodland, ponds and a remarkable number of old trees.

What to see

• Christchurch Mansion: the Grade I listed Tudor house, now a free museum and art gallery with a tea room.
• Arboretum: specimen trees from around the world, in a park of more than 4,000 trees.
• Veteran trees: oaks and sweet chestnuts 300 to 400 years old, and an ancient yew near the Cenotaph that is over 600 years old.
• Ponds and bird reserve: the Round Pond by the Mansion and the Wilderness Pond, home to cormorants, mandarin ducks, little grebes and visiting kingfishers.
• Woodland flush: one of the town's few populations of snake's head fritillaries, flowering in April and May.
• Community orchard: traditional Suffolk fruit trees near the play area.

Planning your visit

Christchurch Park is just north of Ipswich town centre and has several entrances. There is no charge to enter, and nearby car parks, Blue Badge parking and bus stops are shown on the council's map. The Reg Driver Visitor and Education Centre is in the park, along with toilets, tennis courts, bowling greens and a children's play area.

The park opens at 7am daily and closes at a time that changes through the year, set out in a seasonal table on the council website. Christchurch Mansion has its own opening hours and is closed on Mondays.