"A pocket park (also known as a parkette, mini-park, vest-pocket park or vesty park) is a small park accessible to the general public. Pocket parks are frequently created on a single vacant building lot or on small, irregular pieces of land. They also may be created as a component of the public space requirement of large building projects.
Pocket parks can be urban, suburban or rural, and can be on public or private land. Although they are too small for physical activities, pocket parks provide greenery, a place to sit outdoors, and sometimes a children's playground. They may be created around a monument, historic marker or art project." - Wikipedia on pocket parks.
The Great Brickhill area has not one but two pocket parks; interetsing for a village in such an area of natural beauty!
Foxhole was the first pocket park to be created in Great Brickhill in modern times and is situated to the North of the village along John Horncapps Lane. It is very different in character to Poor's Acre even though both sites have been used for similar purpose in the past.
In January 2005 (around the time the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, giving a right to roam on registered common land and mapped open country was taking effect) a local resident raised his concerns that there were three pieces of registered common land in Great Brickhill which were the only pieces of access land for many miles around. One of these, known as Poor’s Acre off Heath Road, was surrounded by a high fence and a securely-locked gate, making it completely inaccessible.
Poor's Acre in 2005
It turned out that the land had no known owner so, under the Commons Registration Act 1965, it was in the care of the parish council. Although Bucks County Council, as access authority, was aware that it should take action to make the land accessible, it argued that it had other priorities.
The correspondence continued for many years, with the local parish society writing many letters to Bucks County Council. At last there was a result and the Village Improvement Committee, supported financially by the parish council, worked at renovating Poor’s Acre with the intention of creating a pocket park, which would be an amenity for the whole village to enjoy.
Some of the older residents of the village know the site as Sand Hole; it was used as an informal village dump in days gone by.
A meandering, circular, 200-metre path has been created, which leads the visitor around the natural woodland. The gradients on the path have been reduced to make the park as accessible as possible to all. In spring the natural woodland is a spectacular carpet of bluebells. The park is frequented by foxes, rabbits and other burrowing mammals.
A small pond has been created in a natural depression, which will further increase the bio-diversity by encouraging insects, frogs, toads and newts and invertebrates.
The Parish Council request that visitors do not venture from the marked path through the woodland area as deep burrows exist for the unaware to fall into.
We came across this lovely spot during our exercise period of the 2020 lockdown; in the spring time there is the scent of wild garlic and bluesbells as the glad starts.
Cache is a small camo taped lock & lock box; if you want to take something, please leave somehting unless it's a trackable!
Congratulations to Wavvy for the First to Find!!