LEI Country

Leicester City Parks

Location plan for Abbey and Riverside Park car park - SK585054 - view in Multimap or Streetmap format.

History of Abbey and Riverside Park

Permanent Orienteering Course available

View details of this and other Permanent Orienteering Courses

Other areas in Leicester without specific car park data include:

The Orchards
Spinney Hill
Humberstone Park

Abbey and Riverside Park

Riverside Park stretches from Aylestone in the south to the northern city boundary in Watermead Country Park. It follows the River Soar and Grand Union Canal and the path/cycleway along what was the Great Central Railway. The whole length is covered by orienteering maps and the park has been used for a Long-O in the past. The areas south of that mapped as Abbey & Riverside Parks is mapped as Aylestone Riverside and the parts north of this map are included on the map of Watermead Park.

Riverside Park is a wild life and recreation corridor running right through the city of Leicester taking in a number of small urban parks and green spaces and until very recently could be travelled in its entirety without having to cross a road. This was by way of tunnels, underpasses and bridges but one old railway bridge is to be demolished and one road crossing will now have to be negotiated.

Abbey Park was formed from water meadows and opened in 1882 and was extended in 1925 when the Abbey Grounds, the site of Leicester Abbey, were added to the park and linked by two footbridges across the Soar. It includes a reconstructed site of the Abbey and a memorial to Cardinal Wolsey who was laid to rest in the grounds. Founded in 1143, as St Mary de Pratis (St Mary of the Meadows) the Abbey stood for 395 years and became the 2nd wealthiest Augustinian abbey in the country. Totalling about 85 acres, the park comprises a mixture of copses, playing fields and gardened areas round a central one hectare lake, with islands and an irregular shoreline.

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Humberstone Park

This 20 acre park with its attractive gardens is located off Uppingham Road, three miles to the east of the Leicester City Centre. It was opened in 1925.

Bushby Brook flows through the park, was at one time damned and used as a boating lake by local people. Since the 1950's it has been straightened and the banks are now planted with willow, birch and hazel.

It is barely big enough to even sustain a permanent course

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Spinney Hill

This was mapped under a 'Sports for All' award to try and bring orienteering into deprived inner city areas but circumstances have dictated that we have never really got any use out of it. Almost a soon a site was mapped part was given over to a police station. There are 34 acres of sloping parkland, with two popular and well-equipped play areas and an adventure playground. Sporting facilities include bowling green, tennis and netball and there are large grassed areas. It includes a refurbished sports pavilion and it is thought that an aborted permanent course was commenced.

As long ago as 1885 the City Corporation were worried about a lack of public open space in this area of Leicester and acquired this land; paths were laid out, new trees planted and a pavilion erected.

The City Wildlife Project created the nature area during the park's centenary in 1986. They planted over 150 trees. Oak, maple and birch were planted in the woodland areas and the water-loving alder and willow beside the brook. Many wildflowers were introduced into a newly dug pond.

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The Orchards

This area is valuable in that it is one of few within Leicester City itself. Whilst very small it is very complex.

The larger part was neglected allotments acquired by the City Council and turned into a Local Nature Reserve. Given the various fruit trees which survived, this is now a very rich if largely overgrown area, which abounds with birdlife. It is now actively managed by volunteers with Environ Trust (Groundwork Leicester & Leicestershire) and numerous pathways are kept open. Some of the woodlands have been thinned and coppiced giving a variety of terrain.

A school sports field and some pastureland attached to the City Demonstration Farm link the area to Goss Meadows a linear wildlife reserve which in turn links to a very old and neglected copse know as Gilroes Spinney. By using the streets of a new housing development these can all be used together for good small training events.

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