Elemore Park

Elemore Park is a lovely gem with 135 acres to explore and run free! The park was a former golf course and before that it was part of Elemore Colliery. The café which was the former clubhouse was opened in April 2023 and has a garden nursery attached.

Inside there are some old photos that explain the history here.

As 2022 celebrated 200 years since the Railway Line was built, a Bicentenary Sculpture was unveiled.

It was made by a number of people with 11 schools and some community groups. This is a half scale model of the first Stephenson engine used on the railway based on a Lithograph by Thomas Robson (1798 to 1871).

There is a full information board beside the exhibit.

It has been named Locomotive Breath by Dr. Ron Lawson, who created the framework for the model of the steam engine. He is a Sunderland man and worked as a sheet metal worker and then became an artist. He works in steel and bronze, as well as painting and tattooing. Look out for the name Stanson which is a tribute to his father.

The glass inserts were designed by schools and community groups.

On either side of the site, there is a bridal way and a Walking the Stephenson Way along the old railway line. More information about this is on the Hetton Lyons Country Park post.

There are two red-berried trees outside the café which could be a native Sorbus. I captured this image on a sunny December day.

Motorcycle inhibitor bars are placed at the entrance to the park, but as you get into your stride there are signs that bikes, quads, and horses use the tracks. On my visits though I have not seen any such activity.

It is definitely a squelchy walk in the wetter months. It could in time make a very good carbon sequester.

There are still signs of Elemore Park being a golf course where you can tell where the fairways, tees, and greens were. There are a few overgrown bunkers too.

It is still early days, but the site is getting back to nature and it is clarty so wear your boots! I can imagine a wide range of wildlife lurks about. Moles have also moved in. All parts of the site becoming more naturalised. We spotted an owl and kestrel and saw what we thought were shrew holes.

You can see The Penshaw Monument, and the High Moorsley Weather Radar Station which are in the middle of these photos. There is a possibility that The Seven Sisters may be visible.