Greenery in the City – Part One, Doxford Park

Spring has well and truly sprung. The daffodils are out in force, along with the bluebells  and hay fever remedies.  For those of you who follow my Instagram, you will have heard me moaning about how I live in a city centre with very few green spaces. To make the most of the sunny weather, I’ve decided to see how many green and open areas there are in my city.  Since starting a new job working with people affected by diabetes, I have been craving the serenity of nature, and I feel like I need to make sure I promote an active lifestyle by leading one myself.  What better way to start than going for a walk.  I’ve decided to build up my fitness gently so I can avoid injuring myself.

For my first adventure I chose somewhere relatively small and easy to walk around. Doxford Park is a small area of greenery in north east England, on the old site of a manor house, Silksworth House which is no longer linked to the park and is currently being restored to its former glory.  I love reading about history, and I was rather surprised to find out that the area dated back to the Vikings! Silki a Chief settled in the area and gave his name to the holding (or worth). It was then taken over by the Monks of Durham during the Norman ages.  The Middle ages saw Silksworth turn into agricultural land with a windmill and brewery.  Throughout the Tudor times, the land became private manorial lands, until the 1740’s when Kitchenware was produced in the area.  Finally, Silksworth House was built, and the name changed to Doxford House. Sadly between the years of 1780-1968 the garden remained private and a wall was built to stop anyone from seeing or entering.

This park has been renamed the Secret Garden because it was originally walled in so only the family in the manor house could enjoy it. But, recently with a Lottery grant and a team of super talented volunteers, it has now blossomed into a beautiful area for everyone to enjoy.

Best part is, the park is mostly flat and well paved, although I nearly tripped over a couple of tree roots. Personally, I think I couldn’t have timed my visit better for the flowers.  The bluebells, daffodils and primroses were all in Bloom which really brightened the park up. I love flowers, looking at them, smelling them, frolicking through fields of flowers and last but not least, eating them (I’m vegan).

I really enjoyed the time I spent  wandering the paths of the secret garden. I was hoping to see a waterfall but the stream was all dried up. But, the flowers made up for this. A refreshing walk for a Sunday morning and now I’m ready for the week ahead.

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To travel is to journey into yourself – Danny  Kaye