Castle Vale Park and Coronation Park, Berwick

Berwick-Upon-Tweed is the most northerly town in Northumberland and sits on the River Tweed, 3 miles away from the Scottish border. As well as sandy beaches and picturesque riverside walks, it's home to two stunning parks for people of all ages to enjoy.

Castle Vale Park and Coronation Park are within walking distance of each other and are situated on both sides of the railway station, just a short walk into the town centre. 

Restoration of Castle Vale and Coronation Parks has, with help from the Heritage Lottery and Big Lottery Funds, reinvigorated these little known gems near the centre of Berwick.

 

 

For more information on getting involved at the Berwick Parks visit Friends of Castle parks.  

Drone use
Launching drones from County Council land is only allowed with the consent of the Council and where a formal license agreement has been signed. The council reserves the right to refuse consent and where consent is granted will require evidence of your Civil Aviation Training Certificate and public liability insurance.

 

Coronation Park, found just to the north west of the train station is also known as Tommy The Miller's Park. It was planted and opened to the public as a park in the Spring 1937 for the coronation of King George VI, although it had been originally intended to celebrate the coronation of Edward VIII, before his abdication.

This is Northumberland's most northerly formal park, just one acre in size, bordered to the north by Castle Terrace and to the south by a privately owned grazing field known as Tommy the Miller's Field.  This park contains beautiful herbaceous borders, a modern pergola and traditional shelter where you can admire stunning views of the River Tweed and excellent views of the White Wall of Berwick Castle. Berwick Castle was demolished in the 1840s by the North British Railway to complete the railway line from Edinburgh to Berwick.

A sculpture trail was added in April 2018. The trail adds educational and imaginative play opportunities for children within the park, and features a robin atop a garden shovel, a mole digging its way out of the dirt, along with a sculpture of the iconic Berwick Bear, which is depicted on the town’s official crest, amongst many others.

A pipistrelle bat sculpture has also been erected, dedicated to the late Emma Evans, former parks development officer at Northumberland County Council who sadly died in 2017.

Follow the Castle parks trail by downloading the PDF

Castle Vale Park lies to the south east of Berwick Train Station, on the northern banks of the River Tweed. A long and narrow park, it is once again renowned for its horticultural displays and its early days are fondly remembered by older Berwick residents. The park land was donated to the town of Berwick by Mr John Cairns in 1928 and opened to the public in 1931.

Castle Vale Best Ever Park in the whole of the Northumbria In Bloom area 2021; Coronation Park Highest Level for NIB for 'In Your Community' and Flagstaff Park on its first year of entry in 'In Your Community' as Inspiring. Also for Green Flag operated by Keep Britian Tidy highest level of pass

In June 2011 Northumberland County Council was awarded £53,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery to develop a full Parks for People funding application to make improvements to Castle Vale Park and Coronation Park. Consultants were employed to provide all of the information required to enable Northumberland County Council to submit an application for almost £1 million.

Work on the parks started in March 2013, with the tree contract, which removed some trees that were found to be dangerous, inappropriately planted or self-sown; crown lifting and crown clearing others to remove dead wood and improve views; and removing ivy from some trees. The main construction phase of the project started in November 2013, and was completed in time for the parks to be reopened by Her Grace the Duchess of Northumberland on 31st July 2014.

A Parks Development Officer has been appointed as part of the project and is responsible for organising and leading events, volunteer activities and school and group visits to the parks, as well as for much of the maintenance of the parks.  

Parks for People is a funding programme administered by the Heritage Lottery Fund and supported by BIG Lottery which aims to regenerate parks of national, regional or local heritage for the value and enjoyment of local people. The programme offers grants of between £250,000 and £5 million for projects which involve existing urban or rural green spaces designed for informal recreation and enjoyment, which are valued by local communities as part of their heritage. The parks must be freely accessible to members of the public, and actively involve local people in their running and activities. 

Berwick-Park-Final-Evaluation (pdf)

Find the Berwick Parks

Castle Vale Park
Off Railway Street
Berwick upon Tweed
TD15 1NF

Coronation Park 
Off Castle Terrace
Berwick upon Tweed
TD15 1NR

Travel and Parking

Castle Vale Park is on the doorstep of Berwick train station, while Coronation Park is just a short walk further north.  

Regular buses also stop at Berwick train station.

There is no car parking in either park.

A metered car park is located at Berwick train station. 

Time limited on street parking is available at Castle Terrace.

For all enquiries contact Northumberland County Council