Perhaps the greatest virtue of The Carrs is the illusion of isolation it creates. Trees line the slopes of the Bollin Valley hiding the houses above and creating the impression of nature extending far beyond the park’s real boundaries. Thus it provides one of the greatest gifts of a park to its urban users, that of relief from the built environment.

The word ‘Carrs’ derives from the Norse ‘Kjarr’ meaning ‘meadow recovered from bog’ and so identifies not only the original state of the land but also its subsequent use, as pasture land for the villagers to graze their cattle. The park that we enjoy today began to take shape in 1925 when Henry Boddington of Pownall Hall donated the eponymous Playing Fields. The 1935 purchase by Wilmslow Urban District Council of the remaining land up to Twinnies Bridge brought the parkland to 50 acres and established The Carrs as the town’s playground.

Most of the town’s children have run in the playground on Chancel Lane and begged to be allowed to paddle in the river. After rare falls of snow, the Carrs’ one grassy slope is ridden by sledgers and the parkland becomes a Bosch canvas of colour. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from one end of The Carrs to the other. Just follow the river; it knows the way.

What you’ll find

The Carrs also hosts Wilmslow Parish Hall, which is available for community events and private hire.