Facilities

Recreational Activities

Numerous facilities are provided throughout the park:

• Play areas – two modern play areas suitable for children of all ages are located within the park, to the rear of Green Lane and, adjacent to Thomlinson Avenue
• Multi Use Games Area – a floodlit all weather full size playing surface suitable for a variety of activities, located in Beck Field off Raffles Avenue
• Kickaround – junior size goal posts are provided at Castlesteads Drive, the rear of Heysham Park Avenue and Thomlinson Avenue for informal ball games
• There is a flat assessable pathrunning though out the park apart from the west section which is located behind Castlesteads Drive

Park Features

Heysham Park is divided into four themed areas, beginning at the edge of the City at the West:

• The Country Park lies between the Western boundary of the city and Marks Avenue. Informal footpaths wind between areas of conservation grassland, the Parham Beck and historic field boundary hedges
• The Play Park is located between Marks Avenue and Shadygrove Road. This area has been recently renovated and is characterised by avenues of trees and swathes of daffodils  
• The Flower Park stretches from Shadygrove Road to Raffles Avenue and contains numerous significant trees and formal shrub beds
• Beck Field lies at the Eastern end of the park, between Raffles Avenue and Mardale Road and consists of a large area of mown amenity grassland suitable for various recreational activities

Park history:

• The park is named after Doctor John Heysham who was a physician who lived 1753-1834.  His work involved promoting the medical interests and sanitary welfare of the people of Carlisle, and in 1782 he founded the Carlisle Dispensary, where the poor of the city could obtain free medicines 
• On his death in 1834 John Heysham,  left £1000 in trust for the creation of a people’s park.  This money was invested for a hundred years and it became £2300 and this was used to create the park we see today. The park was reopened one hundred years later on August 25^th 1934
• The park was laid out by Percy Dalton, who was the city engineer of 1926 - 1949.  He is also responsible for the design of buildings and other parks around the city, such as the fire and police station at Rickergate, the widening of eden bridge, and Hammonds pond. 
• The banks of Parham beck and a lot of the little bridges are made up of recycled concrete blocks taken up from the streets of the city when the tramlines were removed.

Play area details

There are two play areas situated in Heysham Park:

 Thomlinson Avenue:

• Age range play area equipment aimed at : 0 - 12
• Accessible equipment : Various inclusive play items
• Is the play area fenced : No

Castlesteads Drive:

• Age range play area equipment aimed at : 0 - 12
• Accessible equipment : Various inclusive play items
• Is the play area fenced : No

Opening Times

Heysham Park is open all day, every day