Wharton Park

Durham County Council secured £2.45 million from Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery, to undertak

Wharton Park is the main public park in Durham City, covering approximately 4.7 hectares. It was formerly under the ownership of William Lloyd Wharton as part of the extension of his grounds at Dryburn House in the mid-nineteenth century. It was he who financed and designed the original park layout made available to the people of Durham in 1857. The original park layout, as well as its most significant landscape features, are largely intact today and serve as a reminder of the role that the park has played in the social history of Durham City. The park is located just to the north of the city centre within the Durham City Centre Conservation Area. There are a number of listed structures within and around the park. There is a single Grade II listed structure, the belvedere or Battery, within the park and several listed buildings and structures around the park which have a significant relationship to it. After a restoration of the park, in May 2016, Wharton Park re-opened with a new heritage centre, café, outdoor fitness equipment, improvements to the play equipment and restoration works to the amphitheatre, miniature car track, putting green, battlements, footpaths, signs and entrance features. The ‘People’s Park’ of Durham City is fast becoming a destination in its own right with plans to assist in achieving and retaining Green Flag status and re-establishing itself as a venue for events, activities and live performances. In line with the original aims and objectives of William Wharton, this project will contribute to improving the health and fitness of the local community which is just as important today as it was 150 years ago.

15/11/2025

Get creative this festive season at Wharton Park, try your hand at building a wooden reindeer with our education team and park assistant rangers on Saturday 13 December at 10.00am.

The recommended age is for children aged 6+ younger children are welcome to attend the workshop however they would require closer adult supervision and support using some of the tools. All materials are included in the ticket price, the wood used to build the reindeer is sourced from our parks and countryside meaning you will be taking a piece Durham home with you.

The wooden reindeer is a wonderful festive decoration and could make a lovely handmade Christmas gift for a loved one which would be enjoyed year after year over the festive period.

Online booking is required the ticket price includes making 1 wooden reindeer for £25. Children must be accompanied by an adult during the workshop.

Please note there are limited spaces. To book visit https://events.durham.gov.uk/1/Home/List

05/11/2025

Wharton Parks Café is now operating under Winter opening hours.

The Café is closed Monday to Thursday opening Friday to Sunday 10.00am to 4.00pm.

Pop into the Café and enjoy some Winter specials, see details below.

Hot Soup and a Bun £4.50
Soup of the Day served with a bun
Available 11.00am to 3.00pm

Coffee and Cake Break £5.75
Any hot drink with a slice of cake
Available 2.00pm to 3.30pm

01/11/2025

Due to unforeseen circumstances our café will close at 2pm today (Saturday).
We will be open as normal tomorrow.
Apologies for any inconvenience.

30/10/2025

Hi everyone. From Monday 3rd November our café will switch to its winter opening hours:

Monday-Thursday: Closed
Friday, Saturday & Sunday: Open 10am - 4pm

24/10/2025

The Pumpkins have arrived in Wharton Park and they are petrified! From Saturday 25 October throughout half term week why not grab a trail sheet from the cafe for £1 and enjoy an Autumn walk around the park finding all the pumpkins that are hiding and discover who has scared them.

16/10/2025

We have some wonderful news to share with our visitors, Wharton Park won the Gold Award in the Best Park category in the Royal Horticultural Society Northumbria in Bloom Awards announced last month🏆

A HUGE well done to The Friends of Wharton Park the community garden received top marks in 'Its your Neighbourhood Award achieving a Level 5 Outstanding result. The volunteers continue to maintain our beautiful community garden, dedicating their time to keeping the space looking beautiful for our visitors throughout the year.

Northumbria in Bloom runs the campaign every year to recognise, encourage and reward community groups who work together to transform their village, town or city through gardening, environmental awareness, and community support.

Thank you to all involved in helping secure this awards in particular staff from the Parks and Countryside Service, Clean and Green teams, Civic Pride and the volunteers involved in looking after the park grounds all year round.

Congratulations to all the winners! To find out more about the Northumbria in Bloom Awards and all the winners visit https://northumbriainbloom.com/2025-a-northumbria-in-bloom-results/

10/10/2025

Join the education team at Wharton Park this Halloween for our Potions and Pumpkins workshop on Wednesday 29 October. Children will carve and decorate a pumpkin with a range of materials and practise their potion skills to have a spell binding time with magical mixes. All materials included.

The morning workshop is now fully booked with limited spaces remaining in the afternoon workshop at 1pm. Tickets cost £12 per child, children must be accompanied by an adult and pre booking is required.

To book online visit https://events.durham.gov.uk/1/Home/List

07/10/2025

We had great fun working with artist Zara Worth and Create North last weekend on our Small Pleasures: Wild Imagining workshops.

There are still spaces available on the morning or afternoon sessions of 15th November. We'd love to welcome you along! You'll make a beautiful golden sculpture inspired by the park.

The link below will take you to the booking page for more information.

Celebrating the place we love through art & stories This autumn, Wharton Park will be transformed into a space for creativity,

Address

Durham City

Telephone

+443000262655

Website

http://www.durham.gov.uk/whartonpark

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