Wharton Park
Alexander IlesJust behind Durham’s Train station is Wharton Park. The park was created after William Lloyd Wharton inherited the land and decided that Durham needed a public park alongside the railway station. The park is very family friendly with three play areas, mini golf and a miniature car track with battery powered cars that children can drive (allowing for some high-speed fun!). It also boasts an outdoor gym for the more fitness focused, or a café for those of us who may want to enjoy the greenery with a tea and coffee instead. Throughout the summer the local brass bands play on a Sunday in the amphitheatre, connecting the park back to Durham’s mining heritage. The park also boasts wonderful views over Durham city from the Battery a mock Castle which was built by Wharton himself and which earned its name because of a Crimean war gun was moved to the location in 1858. Since its refurbishment in 2016 the park has gone from strength to strength and is more popular than ever with the people of Durham and the surrounding county.