Traffic noise fades.
Bird song amplifies.
Happiness levels soar.
The moment you set foot in Platt Fields Park, the magic happens. Covering 170 acres, Platt Fields is the largest and most popular park in central Manchester.
With its famous heart-shaped lake, Shakespeare Garden, playgrounds, picnic tables, sports & fitness, playing fields and trails with hidden gems like the Nico Ditch and Cathedral Arch. There’s plenty of room to spread out and do your thing.
Every month, thousands of visitors come to enjoy the beauty, tranquillity, activities, views, and community of historic Platt Fields Park.
What will you do in the park today?
The Panoramic Park
With so much open space, it’s one of the few places in the city where you can see the horizon.
The park, with its vast panoramas and open vistas, can catch the sun all day.
Fiery sunsets blaze on the heart-shaped lake, silhouetted against the elegant spire of Holy Trinity Church.
If the city is making you feel cooped up, you’ll love the feeling of ‘space’ and the distant views, especially if you climb up the hill by the lake.
Green Connection
Connection can be tough in the city, but Platt Fields is its ‘giant green community centre’.
From gardening groups, the Market Garden, model boating, fitness groups, tree and bat walks, to the tennis courts, table tennis, rugby fields, basketball courts and BMX track. It’s a place where meeting comes naturally.
Come along, get involved, enhance your social life by joining new friendship groups.
There are so many angles for you to get involved.
A Historical Park
In 1225, the Platt family acquired the estate, which they held onto for four centuries. In 1625, ownership transferred to the Worsley family, who transformed it into the Platt Hall Estate.
Renowned landscaper William Emes gave the park a makeover in 1768. Platt Hall still stands today – a fine redbrick building that hosts many community events, volunteering sessions and guided tours.
The Park That Nearly Was Not
At the Wilmslow Road entrance, you’ll see a white viewing bench dedicated to William Royle of Rusholme. We have him to thank for the modern park. It was William’s mission ‘to help his fellows and to uplift the downtrodden.’
In the 1900s, he heard of plans to knock down the hall, cut down the trees, and turn the park into hundreds of terraced houses. His efforts persuaded the Manchester Corporation to purchase the estate in 1908, ensuring its preservation as public parkland for generations to come.
It’s shocking to think the park nearly did not exist. Thank you William.
