Welcome to Sherdley Park in Sutton, St.Helens

Sherdley Park in Sutton, St Helens

The largest public park in St Helens and former home of Sherdley Hall

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Sherdley Park in Sutton, St Helens
The former home of Sherdley, Sutton & Costeth Halls
Sherdley Park News   |   Location Page
Sherdley Park
336 Acres in Sutton, St Helens
Sherdley Park News  |  Location
Sherdley Park 'Portrait Bench' features black metal silhouettes of Johnny Vegas, Steve Prescott and an anonymous glass blower
Woodland in Sherdley Park in Sutton, St Helens
Dam Wood in Autumn in Sherdley Park
Sherdley Park in west Sutton is the largest and most popular park in St Helens, boasting 336 acres of parkland, grassy knolls, copses, woodland and lake. Much of Sutton's heritage can be traced back to the site which can look gorgeous in any season and is kept in impeccable condition by St Helens Council's Rangers and their Parks and Gardens colleagues.

As described on the Sherdley Estate heritage page, it's named after the Sherdley family who can be traced back to 1303 when they were recorded as freeholders of Sherdley Hall, its orchard and gardens. Much of the huge Sherdley estate was farmland occupied by many tenant farmers. There were at least two 'old' Sherdley Halls with the most recent built in 1671 and which later became Sherdley Hall Farm. This building still exists and is grade 2 listed. In 1806 Michael Hughes built a new Sherdley Hall and there's also been a Sutton Hall and Costeth Hall, all long demolished.

For 150 years the Hughes family owned the estate, including Sherdley Park. The public were only allowed limited access to the parkland and a high wall that surrounded its perimeter was locked at night. Church walking days usually culminated in the park, where tea and athletic competitions took place.

The then Captain Michael Hughes (III) and his wife Edith added 100 acres to Sherdley Park around the turn of the 20th century. Almost 10,000 trees were planted and the small lake enlarged. During 1910-40 the park gardens were celebrated in the region under the stewardship of head gardener Thomas Holland, who worked there for 45 years. He turned the gardens and greenhouses into a profitable concern with fruit, vegetables and flowers sold at local markets and Sherdley exhibits won numerous prizes at horticultural shows.

Walking the dog in the snow in Sherdley Park - photographed from Marshalls Cross Road

Walking the dog in the snow in Sherdley Park

Walking the dog in the snow

However the Sherdley estate began to break up in the 1930s and Colonel Michael Hughes died without an heir in 1938. His nephew Michael Hughes-Young - who became Lord St Helens in 1964 - inherited Sherdley Park and sold it to St Helens Corporation on June 27th 1949 for £18,700. At the time of the sale, local newspapers reported that the council intended to develop the estate along the lines of a cultural centre for sport and recreation, stating that "every effort will be made to retain the beauty of the parkland". The surrounding sandstone wall, which had been known locally as "Long Wall", was demolished and during the early 1950s, the park was opened for the enjoyment of the citizens of Sutton and St Helens.

Spring view looking towards the sports field at the western side of Sherdley Park near the golf course

Spring view looking towards the sports field at the western side of the park

Spring view towards the sports field

In 1953 the formal gardens were opened to the public and later extended to include a rhododendron wall. It has been said that Sherdley was the first park in England outside of London to grow the famous Kew Gardens rhododendrons. Athletics events, which had taken place occasionally under the Hughes's stewardship, were encouraged and the Lancashire Cross-Country championships were held in Sherdley Park in 1961, 1963 and again in 1969.

Fluffy cygnets on the lake in Sherdley Park in 2006 - the lake was enlarged by Michael Hughes III around 1900

Fluffy cygnets pictured on the lake in Sherdley Park in 2006

Fluffy cygnets pictured on the lake

The three-day St Helens Centenary Festival was held in the park in 1968. It marked a hundred years since the town became a borough and was then the largest event ever held in St Helens. The festival went so well that it was decided to hold a similar event each year. This was called the St Helens Show and was renowned as the largest free show in Europe. From 2007 to 2010 it was reinvented as the two-day St Helens Festival before being axed by St Helens Council.

During the winter of 1968 work began on creating a 9-hole municipal golf course in Sherdley Park. Grange Park Golf Club professional John Jarman had designed the course in such a way that would “test the experienced golfer, but not be too exacting for the beginner”. Mr Jarman also wanted to keep players “on the move” around the course at a reasonably steady rate. The course – with a driving range of 3,100 yards – was opened in April 1973 and was later extended to 18 holes.

The park offers much to visitors who appreciate beautiful surroundings. There are acres of well-kept grassland and wildflower meadows that are perfect for sports activities or just walking the dog. Plus a lake, ponds, streams, gardens and areas of open woodland.

Carved tree stump and bluebells within Delph Wood in Sherdley Park - pictured in June 2013

Carved tree stump and bluebells within Delph Wood in Sherdley Park

Carved tree stump within Delph Wood

The main woodlands are Dam Wood in the south by the Sutton Academy school and Delph Wood to the parkland's north. The latter is situated by the park’s golf driving range and connects to the busy Scorecross road. Both make for pleasing walks and are renowned for their bluebells during the Spring. Dam Wood has a small lake, which is sometimes referred to as the Dam, and Delph Wood has a stream running through it, as well as an interesting carved tree stump. This part of Sherdley Park has a tragic past. During Victorian times many people took their lives in the waters of the Delph.

The small lake in Dam Wood - reflections from the surrounding woodland can make the water look green

The lake in Dam Wood - tree reflections can make the water look green

The small lake in Dam Wood

The lake in Dam Wood has in the past been a haven of wildflowers and fish. An edition of the Liverpool Echo from June 1941 said: "the lake at Sherdley Hall, St. Helens, is now a fine show of water-crowfoot, hiding perch and rudd and plenty of small dace, and one morning some time ago 17 perch caught in here weighed 19lb."

It is no longer an angler’s paradise but there are still plenty of attractions. For example the lake is often home to mute swans and a seemingly resident grey heron, constantly on the look-out for prey. Around April the female swan (pen) can often be seen sat or sleeping on her nest incubating her eggs, with the male cob on guard duty. The swan's nest is a huge mound of dried grasses, sticks and rushes, constructed at the water’s edge. It’s fascinating to watch the nest being built by the female, while the male cob hunts for materials and aggressively fends off inquisitive ducks. Dogs who decide to bathe in the lake are given similarly short treatment by the territorial cob! Incubation of the eggs takes 35 days before the cygnets are hatched but by the following January, the cob will have chased off the young swans as they are competition for food.

Canada goose on Sherdley Park Dam being very protective of its young from an out of shot dog

Canada goose on Sherdley Park Dam being protective of its young

Canada goose on Sherdley Park Dam

Canada Geese are regular visitors to the lake, which is also home to a range of other wildfowl, including moorhens and mallard ducks. In March 2010, a pair of gorgeous Mandarin ducks took up residency on the Sherdley Park lake. Like a lot of other wildfowl, the male boasts the most striking features with ornate plumage, long orange feathers (or whiskers) on the side of its reddish face and orange 'sails' on its back.

Mandarin ducks in Dam Wood which are depicted in Oriental art as a symbol of fidelity

Mandarins on the Sherdley Park lake in Dam Wood

Mandarins on the Sherdley Park lake

The Mandarins are much more common in the south and east of England. The female at first glance looks more like a mallard but has a distinctive grey head, white stripe behind the eye, mottled flanks and brown back. In China they are regularly depicted in Oriental art as a symbol of fidelity. This is because most Mandarin drakes reunite with their original mates and are very protective of their young, unlike most other male wildfowl. Mandarins became established in England following escapes from captivity and have a particular liking for lakes with overhanging trees and bushes for nesting. So the Sherdley Park lake is ideal for them.

A view of the centre of Sherdley Park taken from within Round Wood with its small pond

A view of the centre of Sherdley Park taken from within Round Wood

The park through Round Wood

As well as the larger Dam and Delph Woods, there is also the small Round Wood with its pond and Sutton Hall Wood (as it's historically known), which is accessed via the Elton Head Road park entrance.

The cherry trees in Sherdley Park, St. Helens can look quite spectacular in Autumn

The cherry trees in Sherdley Park can look quite spectacular in Autumn

Spectacular Autumn cherry trees

There's a very wide range of trees to be admired within the parkland and in Dam Wood and Delph Wood including Turkey Oak, Field Maple, Flowering Cherry, Swamp Cypress, Silver Birch, Beech, Hawthorn and Horse Chestnut. They can be quite stunning, especially during Spring and late Autumn. The wild flowers which grow in abundance in the woods and meadows of Sherdley Park include Cuckoo Flower (a.k.a. Lady’s Smock), Lesser Celandine, Red Campion, Herb Bennett, Wild Garlic, Water Mint, Forget-me-not, Climbing Honeysuckle as well as Orchids and Bluebells.

The colourful circular flower beds within the walled gardens of Sherdley Park - pictured in August 2012

Colourful circular flower beds within the walled gardens of Sherdley Park

Walled gardens circular flower beds

The formal walled gardens in the west of the park can be quite beautiful in Summer and have often been used by photographers for wedding pictures. There are plenty of benches within the gardens for taking a break and admiring the flowers and trees.

Sherdley Park is one of six St Helens venues, which, since January 2016, have hosted a Cycling Hub. These have been set up to offer free to access opportunities, such as providing a meeting place for organised bike rides and they also serve as a focal point for cycle skills and maintenance training. All hubs are available for community groups and organisations to use on a regular or occasional basis and have been created as part of a desire to create a culture of cycling in the town. St Helens College’s Centre for Landbased Industries also has a base in the park, offering courses in horticulture, conservation and floristry.

The play areas for children are always popular attractions in Sherdley Park

The play areas for children are always popular attractions

The play areas for children are popular

Race for Life Sherdley Park, St.Helens
Runners in the Race For Life in Sherdley Park
St Helens Council’s Ranger Service are no longer based in Sherdley Park, although many events are still held. Spark in the Park – the annual November 5th fireworks celebration – illuminates the sky over the parkland and is attended by around 30,000 people. Silcock's funfair are regular visitors, as are several circuses. During 2014 the inaugural Reminisce Club Classics Festival was held and the Spooky Welly Walk – in aid of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation – began as an annual event two years later. Clonefest, headlined by the Clone Roses, started in 2018 and the fun dog show Paws in the Park takes place annually after transferring from Taylor Park.

Sadly in February 2017 St Helens Council took the decision to close Pets Corner as part of environmental service budget savings. Dubbed "the children's zoo", the facility in the centre of Sherdley Park first opened in 1965, although visitors were then only able to view animals through a perimeter fence. As the attraction increased in popularity, so the stock of animals expanded and included flamingos, an aviary, Chinese water deer, a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig and even a pair of penguins! From 1988 Pets Corner was run by the council's Ranger Service, who installed footpaths and fenced enclosures that enabled viewing of the animals from close quarters.

Left: A Silcock's toytrain prepares to leave the park in August 2012; Right: Circus tent in April 2013

Silcock's toytrain prepares to leave the park in 2012 and a circus tent

Silcock's toytrain and a circus tent

As well as goats, pigs, cows, lambs and donkeys, Pets Corner in recent years featured rheas, giant continental rabbits, rare breed chickens, peacocks and other unusual species. In November 2001 a teenager was sent to prison for three months for cruelty and criminal damage, after he broke into Pets Corner and allowed his dogs to attack a wallaby, duck and goose. Then in November 2009 Chalkie the cockatoo was stolen from his Sherdley Park home but within days was found safe and well.

Sherdley Park's own Pets Corner was a popular visitor attraction until its closure in February 2017

Pets Corner was a popular visitor attraction until it closed in 2017

Sherdley Park's Pets Corner

Sherdley Park hit the headlines during February 2009 after eight local teenagers were given custodial sentences of over 40 years for a sickening attack in the park that left an 18-year-old lad from Widnes with horrific injuries. However this was a one-off incident and in reality Sherdley Park is a safe and beautiful environment. It's much appreciated by locals as well as visitors from further afield, who attend the many park events or just use the well-kept open space and woodland for relaxation and exercise.

Part of the new four metre wide cycleway installed in Sherdley Park during the Spring of 2012

Part of the four metre wide cycleway installed in Sherdley Park in 2012

Four metre wide cycleway in the park

In March 2013 St Helens Council installed a remarkable 'portrait bench' featuring human-sized, black metal silhouettes of Johnny Vegas, Steve Prescott and an anonymous glass blower (see slideshow above). The artwork / bench is situated by the Score footpath and the new cycle path near Marshalls Cross Road. It's part of the Sustrans initiative, the sustainable transport charity that creates cycling and walking routes funded by the Big Lottery Fund.
Many green 100-metre metal marker posts were installed in Sherdley Park in July 2013 (pictured above). These allow walkers to check the distances that they have tread in the park, so they can try to increase the distance or speed on future visits.
Two years later in March 2015, three large information boards were installed around the perimeter of Round Wood by St Helens Council. The boards' heritage information and photographs have been supplied by the website. Many new benches have also been installed around and inside the little woodland and access has been improved within.
During the Spring of 2016 an outdoor fitness area was installed in Sherdley Park as part of a drive by the local authority to reduce obesity and boost residents' activity levels. Funded by a Public Health Grant, the open-air gym includes a number of resistance and cardiovascular type exercise equipment, which are wheelchair-user friendly and accessible to anyone over 14. The issue of obesity is a priority for St.Helens Council, as two thirds of the population of the town is said to have excess weight. Outdoor gyms have also been installed in Taylor Park, Mesnes Park, Nanny Goat Park, Old Lane Park and Queens Park. The gym in Sherdley Park is situated at the rear of the play area by the car park.

During the summer of 2017 TiksPac stations were installed in order to clamp down on dog fouling. The Swedish company TiksPac, whose UK office is in Newton-le-Willows, provided the stations, which hold 100% compostable and biodegradable dog waste bags.
After a year of uncertainty over the future of the municipal Sherdley Park Golf Course and Driving Range, Green Circle Estates took them both over on a 150 year lease in June 2018. The Merseyside golf and leisure company also manages Allerton Manor Golf Club and Kirkby Valley Golf Club in Liverpool. On May 4th 2019 Green Circle unveiled a new £1m clubhouse with restaurant, bar and terrace, changing facilities and new golf shop. The facilities are open to all members of the public, as well as golfers.
The course layout has also been improved with the former 13th hole – that was nicknamed "Mount Sherdley" because of its uphill walk to the tee – becoming the first hole. In addition a number of golf buggies have been made available for golfers to more easily get around the course. Four of the green complexes will be upgraded with new drainage and irrigation systems to improve all year-round playability on the course.
The club state that their intention is to provide first class facilities, on par, if not better, than the region's best private members' golf clubs but still providing affordable, pay and play golf and accessible membership for all.
Latest Sherdley Park News:
In June 2019 a new base for the Sherdley Park Cycling Hub was installed in the park by the Marshalls Cross Road entrance. The six bike hubs in St Helens have been created to provide a meeting place for organised bike rides and they also serve as a focal point for cycle skills and maintenance training. All hubs are available for community groups and organisations to use and have been established to help create a culture of cycling in the town.
Some areas of grass in Sherdley Park are not being cut in order to improve biodiversity throughout the borough. It is hoped that this policy will boost both the variety and numbers of insects and wild flower species. In addition seed will be provided for birds, habitats for insects, nectar for bees and cover for small mammals, amphibians and reptiles. However 4-metre wide paths have been created within the uncut grass so that walkers are not inconvenienced.
In April 2019 work began on building a clubhouse with changing rooms for Sidac FC and Parkside FC who will begin playing in Sherdley Park in the autumn. The clubhouse will be situated by the Elton Head Road entrance with the nearby grass playing fields having been completed last year.
On June 7th 2018 St Helens Council handed over the management of Sherdley Park Golf Course and Driving Range to Green Circle Estates Ltd on a 150-year lease. The Merseyside golf and leisure company also manages Allerton Manor Golf Club and Kirkby Valley Golf Club in Liverpool.
Green Circle plan to develop a new golf clubhouse with bars, restaurants and a conference / function suite, introduce adventure golf, improve course facilities, provide a golf academy and improve car parking facilities. In early 2017 there was much speculation about the likely closure of the golf course in Sherdley Park. So the confirmation that it and the driving range will remain open on a 'pay and play' basis has to be loudly welcomed.
Work began during May 2018 to create grass playing fields for use by Sidac Social Club, as well as a clubhouse with changing rooms and perimeter fencing. The new fields will be located in the park by the Elton Head Road entrance and to the west of Dam Wood and Sutton Leisure Centre. The lease of the club's old fields in Sutton Leach was sold last year to a housing developer who will build 117 homes on the site. The developer agreed to build the playing fields as part of the deal and St Helens Council granted Sidac a 25-year peppercorn lease for exclusive use of a section of Sherdley Park.
During May 2018 the main Sherdley Park car park has been re-marked, with spaces now clearly laid out for parking by the emergency services and disabled drivers. There are 110 spaces in total within the car park that is accessed from Elton Head Road.
The new additions to the children’s play area in Sherdley Park, situated near to the main car park, have now been completed.

Sherdley Park Contact Details:

Bookings for Sherdley Park Golf Course and The Park Restaurant: 01744 813149; View / Download The Park Menu; Driving Range: 01744 612509; Golf Course and Pro Shop opening hours: Monday to Friday 7am to 6:30pm; Saturday & Sunday 6:30am to 6pm. (Pro Shop opening hours are subject to change during the season.) Driving Range Opening Times: Monday to Friday: 10am to 8pm; Saturday / Sunday: 10:00am to 6pm. The driving range closes thirty minutes after last ball issued - no golf bags allowed. (Times last checked June 2019). Sherdley Park Cycling Hub: 01744 676174 cycling@sthelens.gov.uk
Other Pages & Articles on Sherdley Park in This Website:
Thanks to St Helens Rangers for providing species information
Stephen Wainwright
This website has been written and researched and many images photographed by myself, Stephen Wainwright, the Sutton Beauty & Heritage site owner. Individuals from all over the world have also kindly contributed their own photographs. If you wish to reuse any image, please contact me first as permission may be needed from the copyright owner. High resolution versions of many pictures can also be supplied at no charge. Please also contact me if you can provide any further information or photographs concerning Sutton, St.Helens. You might also consider contributing your recollections of Sutton for the series of Memories pages. Sutton Beauty & Heritage strives for factual accuracy at all times. Do also get in touch if you believe that there are any errors. I respond quickly to emails and if you haven't had a response within twelve hours, check your junk mail folder or resend your message. Thank you! SRW
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