Platt Fields Park

The first known mention of the area is from 1150, at which time the "lands of Platt" were given to the Knights of St John by "Matthew, Son of William". Gore Brook is mentioned as being present at the time. The Platt family obtained the estate in 1225, and owned the land for the next 400 years. In 1625 it passed to the Worsley family, and was then a country park bordering on the Cheshire Plain, and called the Platt Hall Estate. The park was landscaped by William Emes in 1768. The Worsley family owned the estate until 1907. from Platt Fields Park]] By the early 20th century, the site was a country park with a mansion, though the estate was gradually surrounded by ever-increasing housing,…

The centrepiece of the park is a large pleasure pond, which was once used for boating and fishing. The pond has an island sanctuary in the middle, as well as a pondside visitors' centre and a boathouse. The park also contains part of Gore Brook and part of the Nico (Mickle) Ditch. There is a labyrinth and picnic area, a veterans' pavilion and children's playgrounds. Sports facilities include a pair of bowling greens and courts for basketball, five-a-side, roller hockey, tennis, as well as a mini soccer pitch, cycle pathways and a skate park. The old boathouse is now the location of Platt Fields Bike Hub, a community project involved in bicycle repairs, bike hire and other cycling-oriented…