Oldbury Court Estate

Overview

• Grade II registered parkland with woods, riverside paths and excellent children's play facilities. Plenty of of green spaces and picnic areas. Also popular with walkers.
• Opening hours: Open at all times
• Admission is free.
• Parking: There are two car parks, open 8am to dusk:
• Oldbury Court Estate car park: off Oldbury Court Road, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 2JH
• Snuff Mills car park: at the end of River View, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1DL

How to find us

Oldbury Court Estate is around three miles from the city centre in the Fishponds area.

Address
Oldbury Court Estate, Oldbury Court Road, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 2JH

Map
Google map of Oldbury Court Estate

Facilities

• Café kiosk and terrace seating by adventure play park
• Toilets with disabled toilet and baby changing facilities
• Children's play park. Access from the main estate entrance adjacent to the Oldbury Court car park. Suitable for children aged 0 - 13 years.
• Tea hut and toilets at Snuff Mills
• Picnic spots - BBQ allowed except on cricket square

Activities and attractions

• Fishing (fishing is permitted in the River Frome at Snuff Mills and beyond, but only within the designated areas marked on the path along the river)
• Frome Valley Walkway (can be accessed via Eastville Park)
• Sport pitches (there are two football pitches, one cricket pitch and a large expanse of grassed space for informal play and sport)
• Snuff Mills
• Walking

Access

• There are stretches of flat tarmac paths by Oldbury Court Estate car park and at Snuff Mills that are suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
• A footpath follows the River Frome to Frenchay as part of the Community Forest Path and as part of the Frome Valley Walkway which starts near Eastville Park.

Events and clubs

A variety of events are organised the Snuff Mill Action Group, an active local user group working together to improve Snuff Mills, Wickham Glen and Oldbury Court.

Snuff Mills

Snuff Mills park has a number of woodland and riverside walks and a community garden.

Walk along the river banks of the River Frome from Oldbury Court Estate or from the tea rooms off Broomhill - or park in the car park at the end of River View, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1DL.

Snuff Mills got its name from a mill that is thought to have been there since 1297. The mill was used for cutting stones with raw materials that came from nearby quarries. The mill was purchased by Bristol Corporation in 1926 to be retained undisturbed as a pleasure walk for the citizens of Bristol.

In the late 1970s, members of the Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society started excavating and restoring the site of the former mill. In the 1980s all metalwork including the boiler and the water wheel were restored by Fishponds Historical Society.

Walking

Oldbury Court Estate is very popular with walkers. There is a great network of pathways, an orienteering path and several different pathways along the river. There are also many picnic spots around the estate.

Follow the winding paths and drives connecting with other parks and green spaces along the Frome Valley such as Snuff Mills and Eastville Park and enjoy the wide views across the city.

A leaflet about the Frome Valley nature trail is available from Bristol Parks on 0117 922 3719 or from the Snuff Mills tea hut.

Wildlife and conservation

Oldbury Court Estate offers a range of habitats supporting a variety of species which thrive in this area. Old established ancient woodland occupies 15% of the area and consists of tree species such as sessile oak, small-leaved lime and wild service trees.

The River Frome supports a variety of fish, from tiny minnows to large carp, as well as ducks, coots and morhens. Dippers or grey wagtails may be spotted flitting among the rocks, or even the brilliant blue flash of a kingfisher. Otters and freshwater crayfish have also been recorded on the river.

Awards

Site of Nature Conservation Interest

A designation used in many parts of the United Kingdom to protect areas of importance for wildlife at a county scale.

A Grade ll historic landscape covering over 300 acres