During the weekend of Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, Tarmac will be hosting its annual Heritage open weekend at Panshanger Park, giving visitors the opportunity to learn more about the history, geology, and wildlife of the park.
Panshanger Park is 1,000 acres of countryside that has seen many changes over the last 250 years. From a large country estate, landscaped by Capability Brown and Humphrey Repton, to a sand and gravel quarry and now a country park for wildlife and for visitors to explore.
Visitors over the Heritage open weekend will be given rare access to the old stable block, which is complete with the original stalls and tiling, that was once part of the Cowper estate in the early 1800s. Local visitors are also encouraged to bring along their own photos and memories of Panshanger Park to share with the wider community.
For those interested in a more in-depth exploration of the site, there will be several guided walks and talks, including a guided tractor tour of the park’s more recent history from the park’s estate manager, Michael Charlton, an illustrated heritage guided walk with Panshanger Park volunteer, David, and a series of talks from the Friends of Panshanger Park. While exploring the heritage of Panshanger Park, visitors are also being encouraged to spend time enjoying the wildlife that the park has to offer.
Michael Charlton, estate manager at Panshanger Park, said: “Panshanger Park has more history to it than perhaps is obvious at first glance and if you take the time to look a bit closer, you will notice that there are plenty of clues to its past. We are delighted to be able to share the secrets of Panshanger Park with our visitors so why not take a trip and see what you can discover?”
For more information on the Heritage Open Days weekend event and to book one of the walks, tours or talks, please visit: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/submission-event/panshanger-park.html
