Oldbury Court Estate

Introduction

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

View a map of Oldbury Court Estate

For a direct link to this page use www.bristol.gov.uk/oldburycourtestate

Oldbury Court is Grade II registered parkland. It is a beautiful and diverse estate, combining woodland and riverside paths with historic parkland and excellent children's play facilities. Only three miles from Bristol city centre, the estate is a great place for a family day out, featuring big green spaces and picnic areas, and is popular with walkers for its varied landscape and panoramic views.

Visitor facilities and information

• Café kiosk and terrace seating
• Disabled friendly children's play park (access from the main estate entrance adjacent to the Oldbury Court car park)
• Picnic spots
• Sport pitches (there are two football pitches, one cricket pitch and a large expanse of grassed space for informal play and sport)
• Tea hut and toilets at Snuff Mills
• Toilet facilities including disabled toilet and baby changing facilities.

Admission

• Admission to Oldbury Court Estate is free.

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.

Opening hours

• Oldbury Court Estate is open all year round.

Parking and travel

• There are two car parks, open 8am to dusk:
  • Oldbury Court Estate car park is off Oldbury Court Road, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 2JH
  • Snuff Mills car park is at the end of River View, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1DL
• To help plan your journey to Oldbury Court Estate visit the travel information web page.

What’s on

A variety of events are organised by the Snuff Mill Action Group and the Frome Valley Walkway.

Visitor attractions

• Disabled friendly children's play park
• Frome Valley Walkway(can be accessed via Eastville Park)
• Snuff Mills (can be accessed via Oldbury Court Estate or at the tea rooms off Broomhill).

Estate activities

• 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)
• Sport pitches
• Walking

Community, clubs and associations

Snuff Mills Action Group is a very active local user group working together to improve Snuff Mills, Wickham Glen and Oldbury Court. The group can be reached via the Snuff Mills Action Group blog.

See our get involved with parks page to find out about supporting your local park or green space.

Places nearby

• Eastville Park
• Snuff Mills
• Stoke Park
• Troopers Hill Local Nature Reserve

Special designations/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.

Loo of the Year Award 2010

The toilets at Oldbury Court Estate are amongst the best in the UK and have received an official five-star rating and national accolade as a 'National Category Winner' in the Loo of the Year Award 2010.

Snuff Mills

Snuff Mills is a local park in the Stapleton area of north Bristol. You can reach Snuff Mills easily by walking along the river banks of the River Frome from Oldbury Court Estate.

There is documentary evidence that a mill existed at today’s Snuff Mills Park since 1297. The mill itself was used for cutting stones with the raw materials coming from nearby quarries. The finished products were used for grave stones, building stones and kerb stones for the streets of Bristol. The mill passed through several owners before it 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.

Today, Snuff Mills is still a popular site for visitors and local residents to enjoy the tranquillity of the site. This part of the River Frome is also the home for local otters. Snuff Mill Action Group is actively involved in the management of the site and organises a variety of events throughout the year.

Walking

The estate is very popular with walkers. There is a great network of pathways, an orienteering path and several different pathways along the river.

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.

Look out for the many well sited picnic spots around the estate.

Snuff Mills can be accessed via Oldbury Court Estate or at the tea rooms off Broomhill. This area makes a great place to walk and leave the city behind you. Or you can follow the stream through the woods down to the River Frome which runs through this large park.

Walking along the river takes you past wonderfully sculptural rock faces supporting a variety of plants. This is a good site for ferns and mosses, and even trees can be seen clinging precariously to the rocks.

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 moorhens. 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.

Seasonal highlights

Spring

• Look out for wood anemone, lesser celandine and violets flowering in early spring in the woods, with the wind-pollinated flowers of ash, oak and hazel
• Late spring and early summer brings the colour and smell of wild garlic and bluebells, with insect-pollinated flowers of trees and shrubs as the weather gets warmer
• Listen for birds singing to establish their territories and attract mates: you may even see them gathering nesting material or carrying food for their mates or young
• Insects may be seen on warm dry days: one of the first butterflies may be the unmistakable brimstone, with its yellow wings.

Summer

• Look out for dragonflies, especially around the weirs
• Waterfowl on the lake and river will be showing their families where to find food: if you are lucky, you may see a kingfisher or grey wagtail on the river
• Look out for bats feeding on the lake or along woodland edges, especially on warm evenings
• The meadow flowers should be at their best, along with their associated insects.

Autumn

• Animals will be feeding on the fruit and nuts produced
• Look out for butterflies enjoying blackberry juice and blackbirds fattening up for the winter: you may even see squirrels and jays burying nuts to dig up in cold winter weather
• Ivy is flowering at this time of year: a very important late nectar source for insects.

Winter

• Old man's beard seed heads draped over trees and shrubs: you can see where it got its name at this time of year
• The best time of year to see the lovely sandstone rock faces, exposed by quarrying in the past
• Ferns provide the greenery on the steep woodland slopes
• Blackbirds, thrushes and (in really cold weather) waxwings feeding on tree and shrub berries.