Bransbury Park

You are here Home  > Public Parks, Gardens & Public Green Spaces >  Bransbury Park
Item image

HCC Site ID: 1734 Parish: Eastney & Craneswater ward, Portsmouth
Designations: None Area: 9.3 hectares
Access: Public Access Ownership: Portsmouth City Council

Location and Site

Bransbury Park is situated in the southwest of the city at Eastney, in a mainly residential area which was previously fields and marshland. It is bordered by Bransbury Road to the south, the busy Eastney Road (A228) to the west, Glasgow Road to the north for half its length, which then becomes a cycle path, and the back gardens of houses, industrial buildings and a low-rise apartment block to the east.

Historic Development

The OS 25” 1896-98 map shows the area now occupied by Bransbury Park as fields with a long winding inlet entering from Langstone Harbour. The Goldsmith family owned much of the land in Milton and on the death of James Goldsmith in 1911, a parcel of land was bought by Portsmouth City Council for £28,000. This consisted of the remains of Bransbury Farm and land reclaimed from the inlet as well as Milton Farm, which later became Milton Park. The OS 25” 1930-33 map shows Bransbury Park with its present boundaries and listed as a Recreation Ground. Lines of trees border the southern and much of the northern sides and there is a footpath running north-south in the eastern half. The small western section is laid out formally with paths and beds in a pattern which is still recognisable today.
During World War II the area was used by local residents as allotments to grow vegetables as part of the Dig for Victory campaign. In 2020, following a public consultation, Portsmouth City Council decided to continue with plans to create a new community and leisure facility in the park which would incorporate the present community centre.

Current Description

Bransbury Park can be divided into four sections: from west to east, there is the small formally laid-out garden; Eastney Community Centre with its outdoor sports facilities and children’s play area; the steam railway; and the large open grassy area covering about 8 hectares. The roughly rectangular formal garden has a circular bed, with a tall cordyline at its centre and a notice describing Portsmouth City Council’s sustainable planting policy. To this end, the bed and the surrounding beds are planted with mainly shrubs and herbaceous perennials. There are benches in the central area and though next to the busy Eastney Road, it is a peaceful place to sit. Across the path is a small café with outdoor seating.
To the east of this are the Eastney Community Centre building and the extensive outdoor sports facilities – netball and tennis courts, a basketball practice area and a synthetic turf multi-use sports pitch, with push button floodlights available. The children’s playground with its colourful play equipment adjoins these, followed by an oval-shaped fenced enclosure which houses the 700 foot long track of the steam railway of the Portsmouth Model Engineering Society which is open to the public to ride on Sundays in summer.
Finally, and occupying over 75% of the total area, is the extensive open grassy area cut through by the avenue of mature trees (mainly ash and sycamore), which leads from the car park on Bransbury Road to Kingsley Road to the north. The area is well used by dogwalkers, runners, and keep-fit groups among others. To the west of the avenue is a skatepark and to the east a copse of small native trees, shrubs and groundcover.

Summary & Significance

A local park offering a wide range of recreational activities. It has retained the layout of the original formal garden and is enhanced by the number and variety of mature ornamental trees especially around its perimeter.
HGT Research, Urban Park Survey:May 2022

References

Welcome to Portsmouth https://www.welcometoportsmouth.co.uk/portsmouth%20parks.html[accessed August 2021]
National Library of Scotland – OS 25” 1896-98 and 1930-33 maps https://maps.nls.uk/view/[accessed April 2022]

Click here to visit Bransbury Park web page


Our address

Address:
Eastney & Craneswater ward, Portsmouth Public Access Click for Disclaimer & copyright
GPS:
50.79036507513922, -1.0503101348876953

Comments are closed.