A natural woodland play area with burrow tunnels, balance beams, a slide, swings and a nature kitchen has opened at Queen Elizabeth Country Park to mark 50 years since the park opened in 1976.

Queen Elizabeth Country Park has a new play area, built in the woods to mark the park’s 50th birthday. The South Downs National Park Authority confirmed on Friday that it is open.

The park sits on the A3 about four miles south of Petersfield. The new area is a natural woodland play space rather than a fenced playground, with burrow tunnels, balance beams, a slide, swings and a “nature kitchen” table for younger children, according to the National Park Authority’s announcement of 9 October. A copper beech was planted at a ceremony to mark the anniversary.

Hampshire County Council, which owns and runs the park, had said in August that the play area was due to open that month as part of a summer of anniversary events. The authority’s post is the first confirmation that it has. Neither says which of the park’s car parks it is nearest to, and the park’s own play areas page could not be read when we checked on 10 October, so ask at the visitor centre or check the boards on arrival.

Fifty years in brief

The park was opened in 1976, when Butser Hill and Queen Elizabeth Forest were brought together as one site. At more than 1,400 acres it is Hampshire’s largest country park.

  • The visitor centre was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in April 1976.
  • It was designed by Sir Hugh Casson, the architect of the Elephant House at London Zoo, who also coordinated the street decorations for the 1953 Coronation.
  • The county council manages the park with Forestry England, which looks after the trees, and the National Park Authority.
  • The anniversary programme over the summer included a children’s woodland trail with a medal at the end, a new flowerbed near the courtyard built with the park’s rangers, and an exhibition of photographs and archive material in the visitor centre.

Those details come from Hampshire County Council’s anniversary release of 12 August and the National Park Authority’s post.

Elaina Whittaker-Slark, the National Park Authority’s lead ranger for its Hampshire area, was at the 1976 opening as a child. “I was very young and only really saw the Queen’s hat, but it has always remained a special place for me to enjoy being outdoors in nature with the family,” she said in the authority’s post. She called the park “a key gateway to the National Park, providing a stepping stone from urban areas into some of the most amazing landscapes and wildlife in England”.

Councillor Kirsty North, the county council’s cabinet lead for universal services, said the park “remains in excellent health and is well placed to continue thriving for the next 50 years and beyond”, crediting its staff, volunteers and partners.

What it means for you

  • Half term is the obvious first visit. The play area is free to use. Parking is the cost: from October the park’s tariff is £2 for an hour, £4 for two, £5.50 for four and £7 for the day, and an annual pass is £85. The full tariff, opening hours and the Beechwood Kitchen’s winter hours are on our Queen Elizabeth Country Park page.
  • The existing play areas are still there. The park already had play areas and an assault course at Juniper, with a kiosk and toilets open round the clock.
  • Pumpkin carving runs there in half term. The park’s own half-term events, with dates and prices, are on our October half term page.
  • Getting there without a car: the park is on the A3 between Petersfield and Horndean. There is no station; the nearest is Petersfield, and the bus options are on the park’s visit us pages.

Sources