Lily Hill Park
Lily Hill is a 23 hectare public open space, located to the north east of Bracknell. The park forms part of the estate originally belonging to Lily Hill House and consists of parkland, woodland, and formal gardens. It is now the focus of a £1.2 million restoration project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. View a map of the location.
History
The House and Park were originally formed as a 19th century 'gentleman's residence'. William Vincent built Lily Hill House between 1849 and the early 1850s with the park developed in phases over the next 30 years.
The park is a good example of how Victorians emulated the great English Landscape Park tradition of the 18th century. The planting scheme is exotic and reflects the huge range of plants and trees that were flooding into the country from all over the British Empire - and beyond - at that time.
Lily Hill Park today is very important to local people. It is a place for quiet, informal recreation, meeting friends, walking the dog and enjoying nature.
Many mature specimens of exotic pines and ornamental rhododendrons remain, however, the original design and 'feel' of the park had gradually been lost because of extensive natural birch regeneration. Removing much of this has reinstated vistas and views and allowed restoration of the wildflower meadows that are important for butterflies.
A leaflet about the history of Lily Hill Park is available to order from the leisure leaflets page. For paper copies, please contact 01344 354118.
Restoration of Lily Hill Park
In the 1990s the then owner of Lily Hill House presented an application to the Planning Department to build residential houses on the lawn of the house. Local residents set up a Lily Hill Park Preservation Group to fight these proposals, and was eventually successful in quashing these plans at appeal.
Once the threat of redeveloping the house and gardens had passed, Council staff decided to draw up a management plan to set up the long-term management principles of the park. A consultant was commissioned to undertake this work and the plan was published in January 2000.
An application was submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund in August 2000 for a capital grant to help fund a basic restoration programme. In July 2001 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded Bracknell Forest Borough Council a grant for £113,000 towards developing a detailed design and restoration plan.
Specialist consultants and the full-time project officer, who oversees and manages the restoration works at the site, developed a detailed design and financial plan. This resulted in an award in March 2003 of a further £964,000 for restoring the site, forming stage two of Phase One of the restoration works.
The restoration of Lily Hill Park has taken place in two main phases thus far:
Phase one
Phase One of the restoration project returned the eastern half of Lily Hill Park to its former glory. Restoration work included tree work and shrub management, reinstating the historic path system, central ditch and drainage. While some tree felling is necessary to ensure a healthy mixed-age woodland, new tree planting will provide for the eventual demise of the present trees, and other areas have been planted up with non-invasive shrubs
Site furniture, including benches and tables, has also been installed, as well as interpretation boards to provide information about the site.
Phase Two
Phase two of the Lily Hill Park restoration project is now complete and restored the western section of the park with Victorian and 1930s features, including a ha ha sunken fence, landscaping with flowers and shrubs, a paved walkway, new oak trees and an extension of the footpath network. During the work, 82 examples of rare rhododendron were found in Starch Copse, which the Royal Horticultural Society has asked the Council to protect and reproduce. The breeds, which could be more than 100 years old, include Pelopidas, Sappho and Mrs Lionel de Rothschild.
Representatives from community groups, such as Friends of Lily Hill Park, the Bracknell Gardening Club and local conservation volunteer groups, who helped with the restoration of Lily Hill Park saw the Mayor of the Borough of Bracknell Forest officially open the project’s second phase.
The park is open to the public and a leaflet about Lily Hill Park and the restoration project is available to download or order from the leisure leaflets page. For paper copies, please contact 01344 354118.
Events, Walks and Activities at Lily Hill Park
Guided monthly walks, events and activities at the site are led by the Lily Hill Park Project Officer or a site ranger. All walks take place on the last Saturday of every month and meet at 11:00am in the North car park, off Lily Hill Road, Bracknell.
Other events and activities that take place at the site are listed on the Parks & Countryside Events programme, available to download via the Parks and Countryside Events page.
Up and coming event!
Bird Life at Lily Hill Park, Saturday 3 May 2008
Join local ornithologist Brian Clews for a walk to see the many different birds at the park. Learn how to identify birds through their song and behaviour. Two walks are being held at 10am and 11.30am. Numbers are limited to 15 people on each walk so make sure that you pre-book early by contacting the Parks & Countryside Helpline on 01344 354441. There will be a cost of £2 per person.
Bring your own binoculars and suitable footwear. Meet in North car park off Lily Hill Road.
 |
Listen |  |
Feedback |  |
