Parks and Green Spaces in Chichester
Priory Park, gardens and places to relax
Chichester is well provided with parks and green spaces for a compact city, and the combination of formal parks, cathedral grounds and the green buffer of the old city walls creates a setting that is unusually pleasant for everyday life. The parks are well used by residents of all ages, from dog walkers in the early morning to families on summer afternoons.
Priory Park is the principal public park, occupying the north-east corner of the city within the line of the old walls. The park takes its name from the Greyfriars priory that once stood on the site, and the remains of the priory church can still be seen. The park has open lawns, mature trees, a children's playground, a bowling green and a cricket ground. Chichester Priory Park Cricket Club plays on the ground, and watching a match on a summer afternoon with the cathedral spire visible above the trees is one of the quieter pleasures of the city. The Guildhall, a medieval building in the park, is used for events and is open to visitors.
The Bishop's Palace Gardens, adjacent to the cathedral, provide a more intimate and formal green space. The gardens are walled, creating a sheltered and peaceful enclosure in the heart of the city. They contain herbaceous borders, a lawn and mature planting, and are popular with visitors to the cathedral and with residents seeking a quiet moment. The gardens are free to enter and are a genuine hidden gem for those who do not know they are there.
Oaklands Park, the setting for the Festival Theatre, provides another area of open space, with lawns and trees surrounding the theatre buildings. During the theatre season, the park is used by picnicking theatre-goers, and it has a pleasant, convivial atmosphere on warm evenings.
The city walls themselves form a green corridor. Although only fragments of the Roman and medieval walls survive above ground, the line of the defences is followed by a path and, in several places, by grassy banks and mature trees. Walking the wall circuit provides a combination of exercise, history and green space within the city.
New Park, to the south of the city, and the open spaces around the Chichester Canal basin add further green areas. The canal basin is a focus for community activity, with the canal trust running boat trips and events, and the towpath providing a pleasant walk into the countryside.
For a city of its size, Chichester offers an impressive amount of accessible green space, and the quality of the parks and gardens reflects the civic pride that residents take in their city.
Oaklands Park, the setting for the Festival Theatre, provides another area of open space, with lawns and mature trees surrounding the theatre buildings. During the theatre season from spring to autumn, the park is used by picnicking theatre-goers, and it has a pleasant, convivial atmosphere on warm evenings when the combination of good weather, good company and the anticipation of a performance creates a sense of occasion.
The city walls themselves form a green corridor around much of the city. Although only fragments of the Roman and medieval walls survive above ground, the line of the defences is followed by paths, grassy banks and mature trees that provide a linear green space connecting different parts of the city. Walking the wall circuit provides a combination of exercise, history and greenery that is one of the quieter pleasures of living in Chichester.
New Park, to the south of the city, and the open spaces around the Chichester Canal basin add further green areas to the city provision. The canal basin is a focus for community activity, with the canal trust running boat trips, events and educational activities, and the towpath providing a pleasant traffic-free walk southward into the countryside towards Birdham and the harbour.