Stratford Park

[1] The first Stroud Flower Show appears to have taken place the following year on Thursday 17 August 1871 [2] and appears to have continued on an annual basis with the last being on 19 August 1875[3] Joseph Watts Hallewell died at Stratford Park on 24 February 1891 [4] and was buried at Pitchcombe [5] The Park was sold by the executors to George Holloway MP by an auction conducted by Bruton Knowles at £10,800.

[6] George Holloway died the following year and it appears that the house was then occupied by his brother-in-law John Cotterel Strudwick[7] Following the death of then owner G.F. Ormerod in June 1935, his executors, following his wishes and sold the 56 acres (230,000 m2) to Stroud Urban District Council to ensure that the people of Stroud could access and enjoy the parkland permanently.

More recently the park received national attention in August 1989 when Stroud District Council arranged for security workers and tree-fellers to attend at midnight to remove thirteen trees they felt stood in the way of a road-widening scheme.

The leisure centre offers plenty of facilities including a gym, 25 metre indoor swimming pool with viewing area, outdoor pool (with rare 10m cast-in-situ curved concrete 3-level diving board), trampolining, two sports halls, outdoor astroturf all-weather pitch, hard court tennis courts, and a bowls pitch.

The traditional park includes a Victorian bandstand which hosts band concerts during the summer, and there is plenty of space for dog walking and other leisure activities.