Facilities
Central Park has a combination of formal and informal recreational areas including:
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Children's play areas
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Sandpit and soft play area
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Paddling pool (closed for the foreseeable future)
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Sunken garden and sensory garden
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Sports facilities for tennis (hard and grass courts), bowling greens, basketball, pickleball, table tennis tables, outdoor gym, croquet lawn, football goal, volleyball pitch and chess table
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Bird aviary
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Walking and jogging paths/routes
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Picnic area
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The Willow Cafe (open all year round)
Parking around the Park is available and public toilets are available within Central Park, which includes a disabled toilet. There are lots of events that take place in the park ranging from concerts, open air theatre productions, sports courses, teddy bears picnics and fun days - please click through to our events page for more details.
Booking Courts/Equipment
Tennis - The tennis courts have recently been refurbished thanks to a partnership between the Lawn Tennis Association and Peterborough City Council. Courts are available to book via the LTA website. New booking systems and gate access technology makes it easier to get on court by booking in advance to guarantee availability.
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Bowls and Croquet - booking information
CHARGES
Per person per hour £3.40
Hire of wood per hour £0.90
Hire of croquet per set £2.20
Adult season ticket £44.10
Junior season ticket £27.80
History of Central Park
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The partially completed park was opened in 1877
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Admittance to the park was originally by subscription
only. In 1900 the cost of summer seasons tickets was 15/- for families and 5/- for single people -
The stone archway entrance from Broadway was presented to Peterborough City Council by the Great Northern Railway in 1913
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Jimmy the Donkey is buried in Central Park. Jimmy was a courageous wartime mascot of the First Scottish Rifles Regiment during World War One - he transported injured soldiers and boosted wartime morale. After the war, Jimmy was bought by the RSPCA and adopted by
the Peterborough branch; he helped to raise thousands
of pounds in funds until his death in 1943 -
The Willow Tree in the centre of the park was planted
in the mid-1960s on the site of the former bandstand
that was demolished in 1964. The tree was surplus to requirements from the stock to plant willow trees on
The Embankment.
Yvonne Lowndes
Yvonne Lowndes founded the Friends of Central Park Committee in 1998 in her endeavour to ensure the park, and all its facilities could be enjoyed by people of all ages and future generations to come.
Yvonne was the chair person for an incredible 20 years and remained focused and committed throughout.
In order to celebrate the work of such a truly remarkable woman, a memorial plaque was unveiled ​outside the Willow Café, remember to look out for it if you are visiting the park!
