Managed by the City of York Council.

Rowntree Park has been awarded a Green Flag Award each year since 2004. Sites with Green Flag Awards are considered to be the best in the country.

Access

Open daily from 8am to dusk Monday to Friday and 9am to dusk Saturdays and Sundays until mid September 2010. There is easy access with mostly level paths. 

A short walk from the city centre, on the banks of the River Ouse, this inspiring 30-acre  park has undergone a £1.8million refurbishment, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, restoring it to its original splendour.

The park was a gift to the City of York by Messrs Rowntree & Co. in 1921 and is a memorial to the Cocoa Works staff who fell and suffered during World War 1. A set of listed gates off Terry Avenue were added to the park in memory of those who fell in the World War II. Bronze plaques mark both occasions within the centrally located Lych Gate.

Find out more about war memorials in York.

Facilities

• woodland walk
• ornamental lake with ducks and geese, half of the lake available for use by model boats
• 2 bowling greens 
• 6 tennis courts
• skate park 
• basketball court
• cafe (operates reduced hours during winter months)
• toilets
• well equipped children's play area

Events

The events and entertainment space has an electrical hook up and is available for hire all year round. The Events and Festivals team can provide more information on organising an event in York.

The Friends of Rowntree Park

The Friends of Rowntree Park group was formed in 1996 to work with the council on the park refurbishment. The Young Friends and the Very Young Friends have since been formed. All three groups hold regular meetings in and around the park.

Rowntree Park Tennis Club

Rowntree Park Tennis Club have been based in the park since 1957.  The club has priority use of the two courts closest to the Lodge/Cafe from 4.30pm Monday to Friday and all day Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Buses

Buses run frequently from the city centre to Bishopthorpe Road then follow signs down Butcher Terrace to the Millennium Bridge.

By bike or foot

Rowntree Park is easily accessible by bike or foot along the riverside or across the Millennium Bridge.

Parking

There is a small pay and display car park at the park entrance off Terry Avenue. Fees apply from 8am to 4.30pm. Discounts for York residents.

Flooding

The park is situated in the River Ouse floodplain.  When river levels are high it is necessary to close the park for safety reasons even though the water may not have entered the park.  We will try to keep such precautionary closures to a minimum although when water does enter the park it may take several weeks to empty and clean up silt and debris left behind. 

Records of how high the water has reached in the park can be found on the Dove Cote/Lych Gate located next to the lake.