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Your Complete Guide to Spending a Fine Time at Queens Park

| Last Updated: September 2025

Ah, nothing like a free day where you can simply bask in the warm glow of the morning sun or walk along paths with greenery all around. Plus, it’s a real treat to get some fresh air, eh? And what better place to do all that than in Queens Park!

Taking in acres of this beautiful community park, you’ll feel like all your worries and stress have scattered to the winds. And if you’re hankering for some history, everyone knows that Queens Park is one of the best parks in Manchester for just that.

But what exactly is there to enjoy at Queens Park? Well, good thing you were about to ask that. We’ve got a whole lot of fun facts prepared, along with a list of fun things to do for anyone looking to spend a day here! 

So read on and learn what you ought to learn about Queens Park, and who knows, you might just feel like paying a visit!

What is Queens Park?

Queens Park is a community park located on Rochdale Road, which is in Harpurhey. You can find it specifically at the junction where Rochdale Road meets Queens Road. 

Like many parks around Manchester, it contains lots of open green spaces, and you can even find roses and flowers planted in its gardens. And just like every regulated park in Manchester, it’s prohibited to have a barbecue at Queens Park.

The park also has an interesting landscape design, combining elements of Victorian architecture with what we’d call “urban green spaces” today. While a good number of its areas have gotten a modern update, you can still find remnants of its Victorian history.

Queens Park is open to the public every day except Sunday, and it closes at dusk, around 5 PM. There’s also no entrance fee for entering the park, so there’s no need to pay in order to spend a day inside. 

Children and dogs are also allowed inside, but dogs aren’t allowed to go within the children’s play area. And if you have any questions about the park, you can always try contacting the email, [email protected]. 

How to Get to Queens Park

You can get to Queens Park via a Bee Network bus. There’s already a bus stop right at Queens Park itself, but there are also other stops just a walk away from the park.

These are the nearby bus stops: The Shiredale, Grangewood Drive, Lathbury Road, Rochdale Road (Stop A), Park View (Stop B), Park View (Stop C), and Manchester Communication Academy (Stop E).

What is the history of Queens Park?

Queens Park has been around in Harpurhey for more than a hundred years! 

Before it became a public park, it was the property of the Houghton Family. They were the ones who had Hendham Hall built in 1800, as the main building for their estate. Put a pin on that ‘Hendham Hall’, it becomes notable later on.

But by the time 1845 rolled around, there were already significant plans being made to turn the estate into public property. In that year, a landscape designer named Joshua Major laid out his design plans and had the estate renovated to fully realise them.

Then in 1846, ownership of the estate officially went over to Manchester Corporation, the company purchasing it for £7200. They would have the park opened on that same year, coincidentally, the same time that the Phillips Park in East Manchester opened.

When 1880 came, Hendham Hall was demolished, and on its site, a new building was constructed. This building would be a branch of the Manchester Art Gallery, and for a time, it was open to public visits.

Nowadays, though, the Queens Park Art Gallery is little more than a storage for artworks that are currently not on display in other branches of Manchester Art Gallery. But, hey, at least the rest of the park is open to the public!

What to Prepare for a Visit to Queens Park

Of course, even the most calming and relaxing of park strolls can still call for a few supplies in case of an emergency. And yes, being dreadfully thirsty can count as an emergency on hot summer days!

So, always remember to pack a little water with you, even if you’re not going to go on an exercise run around the park. It’s always good to stay hydrated, after all, so pack some water bottles just in case.

Speaking of hot summer days, don’t forget to apply some sun cream and pack a bottle of it in your bag! It would be dreadful for a sunburn to ruin a perfectly calm stroll.

If sunny weather is not your concern but a rainy one is, make sure to have an umbrella or raincoat packed away. Better to be safe than sorry, after all. Perhaps wear a hooded jumper too, if you want to be extra safe.

And of course, for a guaranteed great time, bring picnic supplies with you! The park is a nice place to have a picnic in after all, and you might not want to come unprepared for one. So remember to also bring plastic baggies to protect food.

What facilities and amenities are in Queens Park?

Queens Park has no shortage of children’s play areas for the little ones to frolic about as much as they want to. The play areas are also designed with all sorts of play equipment suited for different ages. 

There are also wheelchair-accessible areas throughout the park, including the entrance and the parking lot. And if you simply want to sit down and eat, you can also find picnic tables scattered around the park. 

The paths around the park follow serpentine patterns and are suited for both leisurely walks and energising jogs. Though it should be noted that Queens Park is one of the parks where cycling is not allowed, so bringing a bicycle is out of the question.

What to Do in Queens Park

Pay a visit to Owd Ben’s plinth

Media from: @gapgb

Owd Ben is a statue with a sad history here in Queens Park. 

Owd Ben is actually a nickname given to this statue, which was made in the likeness of Ben Brierely, a local poet. The statue itself was made by another poet, John Cassidy, and it was erected in 1989. 

Unfortunately, the statue was weathered by time and exposure, and it had to be restored in 1929. The writer David Huk wrote in the 1970s that the statue had a ‘blank expression and an apparent shortage of waistcoat buttons’.

Sadly, Owd Ben wasn’t well appreciated by the public, who had begun vandalising and even destroying it piece by piece. Owd Ben’s left arm went missing around 1977, and the rest of the statue was pulled down and broken into pieces around 1980.

While a plaster recreation of the statue stands today, the only thing left of the original is the plinth. Today, the plinth of the statue is a solemn reminder of what Owd Ben has gone through. 

Some of the artsy and introspective types like to stand by the plinth and contemplate it a bit, or use it for artistic inspiration. But no matter what reason you have for visiting Owd Ben, it’s worth a visit either way since it’s a part of the park’s history.

Media from: @esuwaidi_m

The Manchester Art Gallery branch here might not be open to the public, but it’s still nice to see it in person. For one, it still largely retains its design elements from when it was first constructed, so it’s like a piece of history in the park.

And really, sometimes it’s nice to see its red brick building while strolling around. It has a strangely welcoming and comforting look to it, plus you can joke with your mates about how you got to see an art gallery for free (well, technically).

Take your dog for a walk

Media from: @djherron88

Queens Park being dog-friendly is a fact that we think you should take advantage of! No one loves walking about and huffing and puffing around more than man’s best friend, and Queens Park is perfect for that.

Your little (or maybe not so little) furbaby might enjoy getting to explore the serpentine paths around the park. Plus, it’s cute seeing them sniffing through all the leaves and grass. 

Just make sure that the little fellow doesn’t do their business all over the statues. You also definitely want to steer clear of the children’s play area for that same reason!

Stop and smell the flowers

Media from: @victoriajayne4

If there’s one thing Queens Park is known for, besides the Victorian influence or Owd Ben, then it would have to be the lovely flowers. Just around different parts of the park, you can find an abundance of rose gardens. 

The roses are well cared for, too, so they look absolutely beautiful and simply smell fragrant. 

Take some pictures

Media from: @knavickas

Queens Park still has some remnants of old structures and statues lying around here and there, which is part of why it feels like a not-so-small time capsule. 

You can find old pillars, plinths, fountains, and stairs throughout the park. And each of these has its own stone-carved charm.

But, if Owd Ben’s story says anything, it’s that you never know how long they’ll stay there until they’re transferred or even destroyed. So why not capture these little bits of history while walking around the park? 

They can serve as a small reminder, even long after these stony structures are no longer there. Plus, you might get some beautiful scrapbook-worthy pictures out of it, especially with how stunning the scenery can be.

Have a picturesque picnic

Media from: @frowetta

Thanks to the picnic tables strewn around the park, you can enjoy a little packed lunch in between strolls. And what’s a better place to enjoy a delicious meal than a peaceful and beautiful park?

Just remember that holding a barbecue here isn’t allowed! Oh, and of course, always clean up after yourself. Wouldn’t want to mess up this perfectly good park now, wouldn’t we?

Spend a day out with the family

Media from: @joeydied

Fresh air can be good for anyone, and the kiddos are no exception! Take the little ones out for a stroll around the beautiful gardens and scenery; you could even turn it into a fun teaching moment or lesson for them. 

Like, say, teaching them about the park’s history through fun facts. Or maybe pointing out the different plants and flowers while telling them about some nice plant trivia. 

And even if you’re just looking to have some simple fun with the family, there’s always the option to simply let them enjoy the park. Be it letting loose on the playgrounds, or having some friendly racing competitions around the paths 

Join a Community Event

Media from: @marie12341964 

There’s no shortage of fun, organised group activities all around Queens Park, which are great for finding a new community filled with new friends! 

Maybe you’d want to join in on litter picking events to get that eco-lover in you feeling happy and content? Or perhaps you want to attend family fundays with your little ones, so that they can make new friends too?

Whatever the case, it’s always nice to meet and get to know new people. It means that you get more familiar faces for every visit to the park.

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