Harlow Town Park

About

Harlow Town Park is a 164-acre (66 ha) public park in Harlow, Essex, England. The park is one of the largest urban parks in Britain. It includes multiple gardens, a petting zoo named the Pets' Corner, a bandstand (which burnt down in September 2025, although the local council have confirmed plans to rebuild it), and the Spurriers House Café. It opened in 1957 and was designed by two of the most important figures in 20th-century landscape architecture in Britain: Frederick Gibberd and Sylvia Crowe. Its importance was recognised by Historic England on 18 August 2020 when it was added to the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens as Grade II. The park is set in and around the valley of Netteswell Cross, which includes a stream and a small historic settlement that retains a high level of original character. Several of the buildings are Grade II listed, including 6 School Lane, Greyhound Public House, Hill Hall Farmhouse, Hoppitts, and Marshgate Farmhouse. These buildings range in age from the 16th to the late 19th centuries. Harlow Town Park received a large £2.8m grant for renovations in 2014, which were completed in 2016. The park has been awarded a Green Flag on six occasions, recognising the quality of green space management. In 2019, the Park was voted among the most popular 10 parks in the country in the Green Flag People's Choice award.