Thorndon Country Park

Colourful woodlands, birdlife, open parkland, fishing and the Gruffalo Trail make Thorndon Country Park the perfect destination for nature lovers, dog walkers and families alike.

At a glance

Opening times

8am to dusk (9.30pm)

The park is open every day. For specific closing times see here.
The cafe is open from 10am every day.


For park enquiries: 01277 211250

For event enquiries: Events.ExploreEssex@essex.gov.uk

For filming enquiries: film@essex.gov.uk

Or for event and filming enquiries call: 03330 138222

Find & contact

Thorndon Country Park, Brentwood, Warley, Essex, England, CM13 3RZ
Get directions

01277 211250

country.parks@essex.gov.uk

Parking & prices

Up to one hour: £2.80

Up to two hours: £4.00

Up to four hours: £5.20

All day: £6.30

How to pay

Payment is available through the MiPermit website, app or onsite machines with card or contactless. Find out more on the MiPermit website or our car parking page.

As from Tuesday 3 September 2024 the few remaining cash machines at the Essex Country Parks will be removed because of ongoing theft and vandalism.

Discover the annual Explorer Pass from just over £1.63 a week to save on multiple visits at Cudmore Grove and six other Essex Country Parks.

Money from car parking is ultimately reinvested to maintain the park and protect its wildlife.

At this place

  • Gruffalo Trail
  • Bike Routes
  • Bike hire. Call 01277 218497
  • Mobility Scooter
  • Café
  • Shop
  • Lake
  • Fishing
  • Dogs allowed
  • Picnics allowed
  • BBQs not allowed

* The EWT Thorndon Countryside Centre is now open from 10am to 4pm every day for hot drinks and snacks. Please note that dogs are not permitted in the café.

* Mobility scooters are available for use. Please enquire at the visitor centre.

*Strictly no BBQs allowed. Picnics are welcome, but please be prepared to take your litter home with you if there is nowhere else for it to go.

*Fishing at Thorndon. An Environment Agency rod licence and a fishing permit is required. Fishing permits can be purchased here.

Introduction

Explore over 500 acres of diverse habitats, beautiful colourful woodlands, and the original The Gruffalo trail at Thorndon Country Park.
Download our new Thorndon Country Park map here.


*Landscape Restoration at Thorndon Country Park*
Something exciting is happening! Ambitious wood pasture, veteran tree management, and grassland grazing works will be taking place at Thorndon Country Park to benefit people and wildlife in the future, following funding being awarded.

Read more about the ambitious landscape scheme and nature recovery works, and look out for our posters and flyers at the park for updates.

During autumn 2024 some areas of the park may be impacted by works.

Discover more about what this might mean for you. Download and view our flyer.


*Visitor Notice - grazing animals*

Visitors should be aware that some areas of the park are home to grazing animals. These animals are an important part of our natural land management programme.

Please take notice of the signs when entering these fenced areas, and keep your dogs on the lead and under very close control for the wellbeing of our animals and yours.

Thorndon Country Park is proud to be the recipient of the Green Flag Award. Read more here.

Thorndon North

Nature lovers, walkers and families will love the tranquil woodlands of Thorndon North which surround the beautiful Childerditch pond and attract many migrant and over-wintering birds such as bramblings, siskins and redpolls. In spring, the woods fill with the scent and colour of bluebells and anemones.

The famous and much-loved Gruffalo trail also starts here. Pick up a trail in the Countryside Centre for a small price before you start, and enjoy a refreshing drink from the cafe when you've found all the characters.

Cycling is also a great way to experience all that this beautiful park has to offer: the north of the park with its wildlife-rich woodlands and the south with its open parkland.

Trailnet’s Activity Centre, located alongside the visitor centre main car park, offers a wide range of bikes and associated equipment for the whole family. We also have a large selection of adult and child trikes for those with balance or co-ordination problems.

Thorndon South

The open parkland at Thorndon South is perfect for families and groups of friends to spread out and enjoy a picnic. Drink in views across countryside as far as Canary Wharf or fly a kite on one of its many hills and run free. Take one of the many walking trails and venture into the woodlands.

Explore our new Heritage Trail at Thorndon South here.

Download the walking trail here.

*Please visit safely. Always:

  • Keep dogs under control
  • Respect other users on multi-use trails
  • Be water aware and supervise children and dogs near ponds, rivers and lakes
  • Note that swimming is prohibited
  • Keep off the ice in the winter

Activities

Read and Count with Me Under a Tree.

Borrow a book bag in the park. Read more here.

The Gruffalo Trail

Discover the magic of the Deep Dark Wood with this self-led trail. Search for the beautiful hand-crafted carvings of much-loved characters from Julia Donaldson’s bestselling picture book, The Gruffalo. The trail takes you through beautiful woodland landscapes at Thorndon North, providing the opportunity for children to run, play, kick through the leaves and let imaginations run free. It provides some excellent photo opportunities.

This trail also aims to help children to learn more about their native woodland and see it as a welcoming place.

The trail is a self-guided walk. It takes about 45 minutes.

Get a map at the Countryside Centre at Thorndon North (open 9am) for 80p, keep dogs on a lead and wear wellies!

To discuss or book a school visit

Please call 01245 223342 or email CP.educationalvisits@essex.gov.uk


Walking and running

Natural but clearly marked paths traverse Thorndon North’s beautiful woodlands and Thorndon South’s open parkland. The Old Thorndon Pastures that link the South and North offer views as far as London. Many walks will pass fenced grazing animals, such as rare breed sheep, goats and cattle.

Thanks to the Land of the Fanns Landscape Partnership Scheme, we were recently able to surface 1000m of new pathways at Thorndon to improve access for visitors. Find out more about Land of the Fanns here.

You could join Thorndon Park Walking and Jogging Club or Havering Nordic Walkers.

Pebble Walk

The pebbles at Thorndon Country Park’s old gravel pit have had a long and eventful history, providing evidence of massive global climate changes. Pick up a leaflet in the Countryside Centre located at Thorndon North.

Orienteering

We have short, medium and long fixed orienteering courses designed by local club, Havoc http://www.orienteering-havoc....

Get a map of all the courses for £2.50 from the Countryside Centre located at Thorndon North.

Dog Walking

Dogs are welcome at Thorndon but must be kept under control: either on a lead or by command. We have grazing animals on-site so be aware of signs asking you to keep dogs on a lead in these areas.

Please keep dogs on a lead around The Gruffalo Trail route.

We expect all walkers to pick up their dog’s waste; bins are provided for this.

Dog Activity Course

The dog activity course is located at Thorndon South. Dogs can jump, negotiate ramps, tunnels, hoops and more, all with instructions - a fun way to embed their training. You’ll find the dog activity trail, built by the Thorndon Guardians, along the edge and bottom of the picnic field at Thorndon South.

Cycling

Thorndon Country Park is fantastic for cycling, with a variety of routes through the beautiful Essex countryside. Routes are marked on the Thorndon Country Park map - PDF document 1.8MB. Hire a cycle from Trailnet. Or bring your own.

Horse Riding

Horse riding routes run through the park and are marked on the Thorndon Country Park map. Bring your own horse.

Fishing

You can fish at the Old Hall Pond in Thorndon South. You can fish with up to two rods but you must have an Environment Agency rod licence and a fishing permit(s) before you visit.

Please see our fishing terms and conditions here.

A daily permit is available to purchase here.

Please note: Essex Country Parks reserve the right to close the fishing lakes on an annual basis to maintain the health of the fish stock.

Wildlife

Thorndon is a great place for wildlife watching. Mill Wood and Childerditch Field are best for wildflowers; the forest is good for overwintering birds. There is a bird hide overlooking Childerditch Pond. You can see amazing veteran trees in the old deer parks.

Volunteering

Volunteering at Thorndon Country Park is a unique experience – you’ll gain skills in nature conservation and feel involved in improving the park for visitors and wildlife. There are many tasks volunteers can get involved in, such as clearing invasive species, construction and restoring ponds. Contact Friends of Thorndon to join the team and find out more.

Facilities

Toilets

At Thorndon North the toilets are located in a separate building behind the Countryside Centre, close to the car park.

At Thorndon South, the toilets can be found in the Octagon Pavilion.

Toilets include baby changing and disabled facilities.

Accessibility

Information on access to Thorndon North, Thorndon South and the Visitor Centre can be found on AccessAble,formerly Disabled Go.

History

Thorndon Country Park was once part of the estate owned by the Lords Petre. Originally emparked in 1414 around the old Thorndon Hall, it has a rich landscape history.

Reimagining historic features include Old Hall ruins, Pigeon Mount and earthworks of The Menagerie.

This centuries-old park includes diverse and ancient habitats, and is home to some important veteran trees, woods and pasture.

The Essex Record Office traces the history of the old Thorndon Hall

Thorndon Hall is situated in Ingrave, about two miles south of Brentwood. The present building is a grand neo-classical mansion in the Palladian style, completed in 1770. It was designed by the eminent architect James Paine, with interiors by Samuel Wyatt. The gardens were later landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

This was not, however, the first grand house to grace the estate. Lewis John, a Welsh merchant who had moved to London, acquired the manor in the early 1400s and in 1414 Henry V granted him a licence to augment his existing house with crenellations, and to build a wall enclosing 300 acres of land and wood.

This house was later extended, before the property was sold to Sir John Petre in 1573. Sir John’s father, Sir William Petre, had held high office under Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I. He had established the family at Ingatestone Hall, which he had left to his wife after his death. Sir John, therefore, was looking for a property of his own.

Over the next 20 years, Sir John made extensive alterations and additions to Thorndon Hall, turning it into a classic Elizabethan red-brick mansion. This is the house we see on a map of 1598 made by the skilled cartographer John Walker, with the 270-foot long mansion, detached L-shaped bakehouse and clocktower, stable block, pleasure gardens, orchard and gatehouse.

Just over a 100 years later, the 8th Baron Petre, Robert, made grand plans to redesign the hall with the help of Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni. The extensive plans included re-facing the hall in a symmetrical, neo-classical style, covering over the Elizabethan exterior.

Petre was also a keen botanist and in 1733 he engaged Sieur Bourginioni to draw up plans to re-landscape the estate, including designing a water garden. He also imported many foreign plants and built hot houses, successfully cultivating exotic species such as pineapples and bananas.

Robert Petre died suddenly, aged just 29, before his plans were completed. His son and heir was just a few months old and all further work was put on hold until he reached maturity. As an adult, the 9th Baron decided to build a brand new house, a mile away from the old hall. This is the Palladian mansion which we see today.

The new house cost more than £250,000 and took six years to build. Between 1766 and 1772, Capability Brown was employed to reshape the formal gardens into a more ‘natural’ looking landscape.

The main house and west wing were gutted by fire in 1878 and family finances did not permit a wholesale renovation. Eventually the property was sold. Today the house has been converted into apartments and the grounds contain golf courses. Much of the park is managed by Essex County Council as Thorndon Country Park.

(Article originally published in Essex Life 4 July 2016)

Shop, Eat & Drink

Thorndon North: The Countryside Centre

Open 10.00am until 5.00pm every day. The Countryside Centre at Thorndon North is jointly owned and managed by Essex Wildlife Trust.

Shop

The shop sells cards, bird food and feeders, gifts, jams and chutneys, wildlife books, pocket-money toys and Gruffalo-themed merchandise. There is also an information display area for local events and conservation-related topics.

Eat & Drink

The café at Thorndon North serve hot and cold light refreshments such as soup, baked potatoes, ice cream, crisps, cakes and drinks.

Picnic areas are also available.

Please note that dogs are not permitted in the café.

Thorndon South Eat & Drink

The cafe at Thorndon South is currently closed.

Picnic areas are available, but please note BBQs are no longer allowed at Thorndon Country Park.

Image gallery

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