Historic park and garden alongside the M32.
Stoke Park Estate is managed via a partnership between Bristol City Council, Natural England and Historic England. Public funding is provided via a Countryside Stewardship Scheme Go to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/countryside-stewardship-get-funding-to-protect-and-improve-the-land-you-manage (opens new window) agreement awarded by Defra, which helps us to restore and improve the landscape of Stoke Park.
Admission and opening times
There is no charge for admission. Stoke Park Estate is open at all times.
Location
Stoke Park Estate, Duchess Gate, Park Road, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1AU
Parking
There is no dedicated car park. Find out where to park in Bristol.
Disabled access
To find out about accessibility at Stoke Park Estate, you can look at an access guide on DisabledGo.
Cattle and goat grazing
Find out more about grazing in Stoke Park Estate, and guidance for walking in fields with cattle and goats in them.
Facilities and features
- dew pond at the base of the northern slope
- fishing lake, also known as Duchess pond
- Hermitage Tunnel (Grade II listed)
- Purdown BT Tower
- the yellow Dower House, built in 1563 as a private stately home, but is now converted to private flats
- woodland areas and trees
- the nearest public toilet is at Snuff Mills Park, five to ten minutes walk away from the Duchess entrance on Park Road
- Purdown Percy, a World War 2 anti-aircraft battery (scheduled monument)
- pdf all weather accessible path(460 KB)
- wooden sculpture trail
- outdoor gym
Activities
You can follow one of our three walks:
- pdf Stoke Park Walk(200 KB)
- pdf Barn Wood Walk(216 KB)
- pdf Hermitage Walk(210 KB)
- pdf Stoke Park trail map(3.72 MB)
Nature and wildlife conservation
Stoke Park Estate is a local Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) covering over 100 hectares. It is also designated as a Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological Site (RIGS): an important place for geology and geomorphology. The site has species-rich grasslands, woodland, scrub, and ponds. It is home to wildlife like great crested newts, dragonflies and glow worms.
Habitat restoration works are ongoing, including around 20 hectares of species-rich grassland, 1.7 miles of hedgerow, planting new woodland, planting an orchard comprising 200 traditional varieties of apples and pears and planting 70 parkland trees.
Some of the site is managed via conservation grazing by cattle and goats, which helps to control scrub and encourage wildflowers. Find out more about grazing in Stoke Park Estate, and guidance for walking in fields with cattle and goats in them.
Other areas of species-rich grassland are managed traditionally as a hay meadow. Over 8 hectares of grassland have been improved using green hay from Ashton Court Estate.
Volunteers help with important tasks, such as controlling scrub, restoring ponds, and removing invasive plants like cherry laurel from the woodland. Find out how to get involved in monitoring wildlife and how to join the ranger at a conservation session.
Community support
Stoke Park Estate has a community group which supports the estate. To find out more visit the Stoke Park Community Group website Go to http://stoke-park.co.uk/ (opens new window).