Skip to content

Blackpool's Stanley Park voted best in UK

News imageFriends of Stanley Park fountain in Stanley ParkFriends of Stanley Park
Cocker Tower was a memorial to Blackpool's first mayor

Just days after being voted the best in England, a Blackpool park has now been named the best in the UK.

The Grade II-listed Stanley Park, which opened in 1926, beat 364 parks and green spaces in a public vote organised by the charity Fields in Trust.

The 390-acre public park is known for its bandstand, boating lake and Italian gardens.

The win received praise from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who tweeted their congratulations.

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. X content may contain adverts.

The Friends of Stanley Park group said there was "absolute joy, and some tears" when they were announced as winners.

John Blackledge, director of community and environmental services at Blackpool Council, said it was down to hard work from staff and volunteers.

"It provides something for everyone and has an amazing friends group," he said.

News imageElizabeth Gomm BandstandElizabeth Gomm
The park is known for its bandstand, boating lake and Italian gardens

Stanley Park also boasts an art deco cafe, model village, and Cocker Tower - built as a memorial to Blackpool's first mayor Dr William Cocker.

The park, which is little more than a mile away from the Prom was described as a "beautiful, tranquil place away from the hustle and bustle of the Blackpool seafront... with great volunteers and staff".

Other Home Nation winners shortlisted for UK's best park included:

  • Antrim Castle Gardens, Antrim, Northern Ireland
  • Cyfarthfa Park, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
  • Pittencrieff Park Dunfermline, Scotland
News imageFriends of Stanley Park Stanley ParkFriends of Stanley Park
The 390-acre park has Italian gardens

Fields in Trust is a UK-wide charity that safeguards recreational spaces.