| Brandon Country Park | |
| Photo Width: | 200 |
| Type: | Country Park |
| Location: | Brandon, Suffolk, England |
| Coords: | 52.436°N 0.6223°W |
| Visitation Num: | 175,000 annually |
| Open: | All year |
| Website: | http://www.brandoncountrypark.org.uk/ |
Brandon Country Park is a country park in Brandon, Suffolk, England.[1] [2] [3] [4]
In 1820 Edward Bliss bought Brandon Park house and grounds using wealth he generated from selling gun flint during the Napoleonic Wars.[5] He built a walled garden and an arboretum with exotic species including Blue Atlas Cedar, Monkey Puzzle Trees and Giant Redwoods. In the grounds he built a Gothic mausoleum using knapped flint and surrounded by Irish Yew trees. Both Bliss and his wife were laid to rest in the mausoleum but were later moved to Brandon Cemetery.[5] When the gun flint industry began to decline Bliss had his work force plant over 1 million trees, in the process creating Thetford Forest.[6]
Brandon Park house is Grade II listed with Historic England[7] and is a privately owned nursing home.[8]
The facilities include a cafe, walking, cycling, forest trails and walled garden.[9] Brandon Country Park Parkrun takes place every Saturday morning, the course is through woodland and on mixed trails.[10] In 2018 there were 175,000 visitors.[11]