Backhouse Park
🏟 Playground & park · Ashbrooke, Sunderland
Backhouse Park
A mature, rural-feeling park with an enclosed play area including a wheelchair-accessible roundabout, a Fairy Trail, beck and ancient trees.
🕑 Opening & entry
🌱 Open daily · Free · No booking needed
About Backhouse Park
Backhouse Park is a small but historic municipal park on Ryhope Road in the Ashbrooke area of Sunderland, gifted to the Corporation of Sunderland by Thomas William Backhouse in 1922 and formerly known as Ashburne Park. Managed by Sunderland City Council as one of the city's Green Flag parks, it is home to a huge variety of trees, including some of the oldest and largest in the city, which give it a natural, almost rural feel compared with the more manicured parks elsewhere. The park has become a haven for wildlife, including ring-necked parakeets and woodpeckers, and is very popular with dog walkers. Families come for the enclosed children's play area, which was refreshed with new equipment including children's fitness equipment and a wheelchair-accessible roundabout, funded through ward budgets and installed with new signage. An enchanting Fairy Trail with little built houses winds through the park, and there are picnic benches dotted near the play area along with grassy spaces, hills to roll or sledge down, and a beck to explore. With entrances on Ryhope Road and in Ashbrooke, it sits close to the Grangetown and Ashbrooke neighbourhoods. As a public park it is free to enter and open daily, offering a quieter, more natural alternative to the city's larger showpiece parks.
⭐ What makes this place special
- Fairy Trail
- Mature woodland with some of the city's oldest trees
- Beck to explore
- Picnic benches
- Grassy hills for sledging
🏞 Facilities
- Free entry
- Accessibility: Includes a wheelchair accessible roundabout in the play area
- Dogs: Popular with dog walkers
🧒 Ages & play
- Enclosed children's play area
- Children's fitness equipment
- Wheelchair accessible roundabout
- Swings
📍 Nearby places to play
- Mowbray Park · approx 0.5 miles · City Centre
- Barnes Park · approx 1.3 miles · Barnes
- Silksworth Lakeside Park · approx 1.3 miles · New Silksworth
Explore more:
❓ Frequently asked questions
Is Backhouse Park free?
Yes. Backhouse Park is a free public park managed by Sunderland City Council and holds a Green Flag Award.
Is the play area suitable for wheelchair users?
The enclosed play area was upgraded with new equipment including children's fitness equipment and a wheelchair-accessible roundabout.
Is there a Fairy Trail?
Yes. The park has an enchanting Fairy Trail with little built houses, as well as a beck to explore and grassy hills for sledging.
Can I walk my dog there?
Yes. Backhouse Park is very popular with dog walkers thanks to its mature, natural woodland setting.
Where is Backhouse Park?
It is on Ryhope Road in the Ashbrooke area of Sunderland, SR2 7EF, with additional access in Ashbrooke.