Dame Emily Park

Dean Lane, Bedminster BS3

Introduction

Named after one of the last members of the Smyth family, which provided the land, this park is a peaceful, shady retreat in the middle of busy Bedminster.

Access

Dame Emily Park is open 24 hours. It is a flat and wheelchair accessible site with paths. Plan your visit to Dame Emily Park with Journey Planner and City Map Viewer and Regional Map. Click here to view a GIS map of Dame Emily Park.

Art

The park has a celebrated and vivid graffiti wall which is regularly updated by art students from Bower Ashton campus of the University of the West of England. This may be lost in proposed future developments to buildings on the boundaries of the park.

Community, clubs and associations

The Dame Emily Park Project was started in 1998 by local people to improve the facilities of Dame Emily Park as a sustainable community resource. To date a new grassed area, dog-free area, new play equipment and improvements to the wheels area have been achieved. An annual festival has now been established and takes place in the park each September. New members and volunteers are always welcome. For further information, please e-mail the project directly. Click here to find out more about getting involved in supporting your local park or green space.

Events

Bristol's parks host hundreds of events each year from keynote festivals and performances in the city's magnificent green spaces, through sporting events and charity fundraisers, to smaller scale community events in local parks. Most of these events take place from April to September. To find out what is happening in the park, visit What's On. If you are interested in organising an event in Bristol's parks and open spaces, click here for information for event promoters.

History

The park was built on the site of the Dean Lane coal mine, one of the many in the area which closed during the first half of the 20th century. In common with many of the parks and green spaces in south Bristol, it's named after a member of the Smyth family from Ashton Court. The family developed mining and other industries in the area but also gave substantial amounts of their estate to the city for use as parks and green spaces, often as a response to social and environmental conditions.

Management and maintenance

If you have any comments, queries or concerns about the management and maintenance of this site, please contact Bristol Parks on the contact details below and we will ensure your information is promptly actioned.

Plants and wildlife

The park is planted with trees and shrubs. The Dame Emily Park Project has installed bird boxes in many trees in the park. Click here for more information on wildlife in Bristol.

Play facilities and activities

A popular dog-free playground for the under 10s has been established together with an aerial runway for older children.

Follow this link to find out more about Play in Bristol and in the city's parks and green spaces.

Recreation

The park has one of the longest established and most popular wheels parks in the city. Bristol City Council has invested in all weather surfaces for football pitches and basketball courts. Bedminster swimming pool is adjacent to the park. For more information on parks and green spaces in Bristol with sports facilities, availability and booking information click here.

Contact us

You can call Bristol Parks on 0117 922 3719 or email: bristolparks@bristol.gov.uk  Monday to Friday 8.30am - 5pm (4.30pm Friday). Alternatively you can text us on 0771 039 6713 to report flytipping, graffiti, or make any other comments about Bristol's parks and green spaces. Please provide as much information and specific details as possible about the location attaching any supporting photographs. We will only call you back if we require further information.