Nowton Park

With almost 200 acres of landscaped Suffolk countryside there is something for everyone at Nowton Park. For sports enthusiasts there are football pitches. To keep the kids entertained there is a large play area. Find out more about the park, events and activities at Nowton Park Facebook page.

Open

Automatic opening and closing gate to car park.
Daily 8am to 9pm April to October
Daily 8am to 6pm November to March

Cost

Free to enjoy (you will need to, pay for parking if you need it)

Address

Bury Road
Nowton
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP29 5LU

Map

Nowton Park map

About Nowton Park

There is plenty to see at Nowton Park, brief descriptions of what to see can be found below.

The arboretums

Nature lovers can visit the unique east and west arboretums which are home to trees from around the world. These include eucalyptus from Australia, paperbark maple from China and Kentucky coffee trees from North America. A new panda was carved in 2021 and placed in the China region along with some bamboo to add to the vision of this geographical area. There is also a dragon that was carved from a cedar tree that was growing in the park but was struck by lightning. The Nowton Park totem pole stands 35.4 feet (10.8m) tall near the centre of the North American region of the arboretum. It is carved from a western red cedar which is the species traditionally favoured by Native Americans for their totem poles.

The bird feeding area

To your left when looking towards the main house from the lime avenue, you will see the bird feeding station on the edge of the wood. In the winter a variety of woodland birds can be seen such as the blue, great and long tailed tit, nuthatch and the great spotted woodpecker. The wood around the bird feeding area is known as Cherry Glade. It is a larch plantation also containing cherry and sweet chestnut as well as a few fine specimen oaks. In this area there is a good example of a mature larch, the only European conifer that loses its needles in winter. There are also mature beech and oak growing in the nearby pasture.

The lime avenue

The lime avenue is one of the finest examples in the UK and was planted around 1880 to give the estate a sense of grandeur. It also provided the house (then Nowton Court) with a vista to the northern boundary. Unusually, it did not mark the main entrance route to the house. In spring over 100,000 daffodils bloom beneath the trees. These were planted in 1989, the two species planted were King Alfred and Magnificent.

The maze

You can lose yourself in the maze. It is in the shape of a stylised oak tree (in commemoration of the Oakes family who were the former estate owners). The maze is open from May to October every year and is south of the park, 2km from the main car park. There are 2,500 hornbeam trees that make up over two miles of hedging, maintained at a height of around two metres. Hornbeam is similar to beech and keeps its leaves through the winter. The centre of the maze is marked by a fastigiate oak (with upright branches).

The ponds

There are two ponds in Nowton Park - the meadow pond which is rich in aquatic life and is a draw for grass snakes as a place to bask, hunt and swim. There is also the school pond so called because it is near the manor house which was used as a prep school after the war. This is almost an acre in size and sits mostly in the shade of mature exotic trees. It is home to moorhens, mallards and the occasional grey heron which feeds on the introduced mirror and crucian carp.

The wildflower meadow

The meadow was sown in 1990. The introduction of wildflowers, like birdsfoot trefoil has boosted the numbers of butterflies recorded in the park.

Activities

Seasonal events take place on a regular basis, keep checking What's on West Suffolk for new events.

Facilities

• Café
• Children's play area - this will re-open on Saturday 25 March 2023.
• All weather pitches – to book pitches visit Abbeycroft Leisure, sports pitches or phone Abbeycroft Leisure on 01284 753496.
• Petanque court available to use free of charge, to book visit the Nowton Park Petanque booking form
• Picnic area
• Toilets

The café is managed by Grounds Café (01284 763702).

Dedications

Benches and trees dedicated to a loved one are available to purchase at Nowton Park.

All dedication options are subject to availability and are offered for a 10-year period in the first instance starting from the date of installation and include a plaque for your dedication. 

Dedications are ordered and installed twice a year, in Spring and Autumn, please contact the Parks department at any time for a price list and to be added to the waiting list.

Events and group visits

To host an event or hire our parks for a group visit, please visit West Suffolk Parks, outdoor spaces and venues for more details.

Park regulations

The following regulations are in place for your safety and to protect the environment, please abide by them:

• no golf or hardball games
• no unauthorised vehicles
• do not pick the flowers
• do not disturb wildlife
• dogs must be under control at all times
• no dog fouling
• no fires
• no camping
• no swimming or paddling
• pick up your litter