Painswick Park

Painswick Park is a community park in the heart of the Woodhouse Park ward, one of Europe's biggest housing estates, and consists of open parkland, a large central pond, structural planting, formal planting areas and a large area of amenity grassland bordered by mature trees in grass.

Painswick Park won a Green Flag Award in 2009 and again 2010.  The award is won for achieving the national standard for parks and green spaces.

It has a variety of recreation facilities including a multi-purpose sports area, changing facilities, a newly refurbished children's play area and a fishing lake.

Much of the park was originally farming land which was used to grow hay, and remained as such until the late 1950s when its function changed to be that of a landfill site which in time was grassed over to form a mound.

In 1962 the site was handed over to the council and an artificial lake constructed to serve as a holding pool for surplus flood water from the nearby Baguley Brook during severe rain storms. The site was officially opened by Manchester City Council in 1968 as Painswick Park, complete with boating and refreshment facilities.

Painswick Park's proximity to Manchester Airport has afforded the park a unique relationship with this significant regional economic driver. The main pedestrian route through Woodhouse Park to the airport, called the Black Path Route, runs through the middle of the park.

Following necessary pollution reduction work upon the lake in the 1970s by both Manchester City Council and Manchester Airport with the help of the local anglers, the lake was cleaned and stocked with a variety of fish; (Carp, Bream, Tench, Roach, Perch, Rudd, Chub and Gudgeon). Over time, boating activities ceased to be offered on the lake but the opportunities afforded for excellent fishing increased with the successful reintegration of the fish to this new habitat. To date, the largest catch from the lake has weighed in at 32 lbs, and the lake has prospered to the point where fish have been netted to stock other waterbodies.

The further expansion of the airport in 1988 and consequent land remediation measures resulted in the relocating of some rare and exciting plants.  These include:

1. Ash
2. Birch
3. Hawthorn
4. Hazel
5. Oak
6. Willow
7. Spotted Orchids
8. Rosebay Willow Herb
9. Potentilla
10. Wild Rose

These can be found from Thornley Lane into what is today a wildflower area in the park next to allotments.

This urban green space has significant recreational value and makes a considerable contribution to the promotion of junior football within the city.

The Woodhouse community group have been active in the park, their work enabling the recent development of the multi-sport and changing facilities. To date, the Wythenshawe Sunday League Teams uses the changing facilities and the adult football pitches. Teaming with up with the fishing group, the Woodhouse Anglers, the site clean ups has been the most recent project in the park.