High Hazels Park

High Hazels Park is located in Darnall, a multicultural area in the east of Sheffield. 

 

High Hazels Park was built in 1850 by William Jeffcock, the first Lord Mayor of Sheffield.  In 1894 the Corporation bought the land and house from the Duke of Norfolk and Messers Jeffcock for £10,875.  In 1895 the land was first used as a public recreation ground and was classed as one of the finest parks within the city of Sheffield.  For more information on the history of the park, a free short history booklet is available from the project team by contacting 0114 244 6548. The 12 page booklet is also available to download at the bottom of the page, this is a large document and may take some time to download.

 

Over the years, the park deteriorated, but The Friends of High Hazels Park worked with Sheffield City Council to secure money from SRB and ERDF to fund a development team for the park.  The Project started in 2000, and since then a significant amount of regeneration work has been done to improve and restore it to its original glory.  Currently the Tinsley Golf Club occupies High Hazels House.  The Darnall Green Spaces Team are based in the old café next to the house.  High Hazels Park caters for visitors of all ages, please come along and admire our work. 

 

 

Bus Number 52 to Woodhouse runs every 10 minutes and can be caught on Leopold Street or Arundel Gate in Sheffield City Centre.

 

High Hazels Park is signposted from Catley Road via Tinsley Park Golf Course.

 

Or alternatively use Multimap, or another online mapping service to get directions for the park.

 

The Friends of High Hazels Park was started up in 1998 by a small group of people who were concerned about the deteriorating state of the park.  During the first two years the group were very active and successful in securing funding for the park and involving the local community in making improvements in the park.  In 2002 the Friends became a registered charity, which meant the group could apply for funding that was previously restricted.  This opened up the pathway to a string of successful funding bids, in which the money was put towards projects such as the Sensory Garden, the Adventurous Play Area and the Formal Garden.

 

The work achieved in High Hazels Park so far would not have been possible without help from the Friends of High Hazels Park who help seek funding for the park, work to raise the profile of the park, run events such as car boot sales, and assist with practical projects.

 

If you would like more information about The Friends of High Hazels Park please contact Paul Campbell on 0114 2656900.

 

 

The circular walk which was completed in February 2006, has proved to be a huge success and has seen a rise in the number of people using parts of the park that were original difficult to reach.  On Monday 18th June 2007 artist Hilary Cartmel and children from Greenlands Junior School, who helped to design the features offically opened the trail by leading a walk around the pathway.  Joined by Councillour Bryan Lodge who thanked the children for all their efforts and hardwork. The children's designs were inspired by flora and fauna found in High Hazels Park and were cast into metal and appear on the branches of the feature, the artist also took inspiration from the history of the local area and it's past industries to complete the sculptures. 

 

A big thank you to the funders Evolve EB through Viridor Credits Sheffield and the Outokumpu Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, Church Burgesses Trust, The J.G Graves Charitable Trust, Sheffield Town Trust, Sheffield City Trust, The Freshgate Trust Foundation, The Duke of Devonshire’s 1949 Charitable Trust.

 

We are pleased to announce that an artificial cricket wicket has been installed in High Hazels Park. Consultation undertaken by the Friends of High Hazels Park and the Darnall Green Spaces Regeneration Project highlighted cricket as one of the most popular sports played in High Hazels Park. Thank you to the Foundation for Sports and Arts, Awards for All and Sheffield City Trust for funding this.

 

The Orienteering course in High Hazels Park is now up and running, this is a free activity and maps are available on request from the development office in High Hazels Park and will soon be available from the reception at Joblink and Darnall forum in Darnall.

 

Volunteers from The Friends of High Hazels Park, local schools and rangers from around the city helped to plant over one hundred fruit trees in High Hazels Park. The scheme organised by the Darnall Green Spaces Regeneration Project and Androo Thornton, Community Forestry Officer, aimed to establish a community orchard, which is on the masterplan for High Hazels Park. Many varieties of trees were planted including apple, damson, plum and pear, the orchard will hopefully flourish into a fruitful site that will be accessible to everyone in the local community, and become a perfect place for scrumping.

 

Thank you to all the volunteers, Tinsley Tree Project, and the teachers and Y4 pupils from Greenlands Junior School and Phillimore Primary who helped to plant trees.

 

 

Areas in the park that must be seen include the Formal Garden, the Sensory Garden, and the Children’s Playground.

 

What once was a tired old rose garden has been transformed into a modern sensory garden for everyone to enjoy.  There is a of variety planting aimed at stimulating the senses, including the brightly coloured flowers of the Geranium, the aroma of Lavender and the soft texture of Betony (also known as Lamb’s Ear). There are also plants that taste good, such as Rosemary!  In addition to the planting, there is a musical seating feature designed by local artists Bird and Bee along with children from Greenlands Junior School and a sculpture developed by artist Hilary Cartmel and children from Waltheof Secondary School.

 

The garden received funding from a number of sources towards improvements.  The initial clearance of the garden was done with the help of volunteers from Meadowhall Shopping Centre.  BTCV Peoples Places Award Scheme, funded by the New Opportunities Fund’s Green Spaces and Sustainable Communities Programme, then provided funding towards transforming the garden and developing the Friends Group, while the Lloyds TSB Foundation provided funding for an art-seating feature in the garden.

 

The Sensory Garden was officially opened on the 6th of July 2004.

 

The Children’s playground started with the introduction of a Toddler play area, which was opened in April 2001.  The playground was designed by the pupils of Pipworth Junior School after they were taken on a ‘Playground Safari’ to see three of the most exciting parks in the area; Chatsworth, Rother Valley and Norfolk Heritage Park.  Artist Amanda Wray and Waltheof Secondary School created the colourful mosaics found in the toddler area.  Greenland Infant and Junior School carried out the planting of the flower beds.

 

Following the success of the toddler play area, funding was secured to build an adventurous play area suitable for older children.

 

Consultation was carried out with pupils from Greenland Junior School and Handsworth Grange Secondary School, who were taken to other playgrounds to try different pieces of play equipment.  Follow up work in the classroom involved the analysis of the play equipment, which was rated in order of preference and ‘playability’.  The children’s playground was officially opened on the 22nd September 2003 and has proved to be a big hit with youngsters and is attracting people not only from Darnall and Handsworth, but all over Sheffield.

 

Funding for the adventurous play area project came from Sheffield City Council, The Hanson Environment fund, SRB, Enventure, Sheffield City Trust, Sheffield Town Trust, South Yorkshire Forest – Countryside Agency, The JG Graves Charitable Trust, Friends of High Hazels Park, Darnall Trust Fund and Public donations.

 

For further information please contact The Darnall Green Spaces Regeneration Project on 0114 244 6548.