Sunnyhurst Wood

Sunnyhurst Wood was area of woodland first planted in the early 19th Century, and later developed as a public park which was opened in 1903.

History of Sunnyhurst Wood

In 1800, the then arable land at Sunnyhurst was planted up by the owner, Henry Brock, for hunting purposes. The estate was sold to Eccles Shorrock (d 1853), from whose family the land was purchased by Darwen Corporation in 1903. The necessary funds were raised by public subscription, through the efforts of Alderman John Tomlinson, Mayor of Darwen (1900-1 and 1901-2), to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII in 1902. The opening ceremony took place in 1903. Sunnyhurst Woods is one of three registered parks in Darwen, the other two being Bold Venture Park and Whitehall Park.

An entrance to Sunnyhust Wood at Lower Sunnyhurst Farm on Tockholes Road, in the form of a lych gate known as the ‘Old English Gateway’, was presented by John Chadwick in 1903. From here, a winding path, Top Path South Side, leads along the south side of the site, along Beech Hill Clough, to join with the walk from the Dean Lane entrance at the southern tip of the Woods. From the Tockholes Road gate a walk leads northwards through beech woods, along the east side of the Sunnyhurst Clough to where it joins with the Sunnyhurst Brook and the path, Middle Path, which runs alongside it. At the junction is a circular shelter, the gift of Charles Spencer Greenway in 1912, the area round it being intended for a ‘cafe chantante’. Further up the valley from here, on Middle Path North Side, stands an aviary. Downstream, the brook is dammed to form a large informal paddling pool marked by footbridges at either end. The pool was constructed in 1905 using voluntary labour. A stone drinking fountain presented by Mrs T Lightbown in 1907, which stood on the pool?s northern bank, was destroyed by vandals in 1981.

Created: 5  December  2019  Edited: 29  November  2023