Clissold Park and Clissold House

One of Hackney’s best loved traditional parks, Clissold Park was opened in 1889 and has held a Green Flag award since 2006. Green Flags are awarded annually to the best green spaces in the country. 

Clissold Park and House were renovated in 2011 as part of an £8.9 million Heritage Lottery Fund restoration project.

• management plan
• history of the park and house

Amenities

• aviary and animal enclosures
• children’s play area
• Clissold House (café and function rooms)
  • Clissold House – Hackney Venues
  • cafe
• dog free areas
• fountains
• multi-use games area
• organic food growing area
• paddling pool (closed)
• park office
• pond dipping platform
• table tennis table
• river
• tennis courts
• toilets and accessible toilets
• wheels park

Clissold House

Clissold House is a Grade II* listed building in the middle of Clissold Park that hosts weddings, meetings and parties.

Following guidelines regarding coronavirus (Covid-19), the House at Clissold Park is currently closed to the public, although is still available to hire for weddings, meetings and parties.

Café

Situated in the beautiful Clissold House, Park Life Café is the perfect place to unwind.

Enjoy locally roasted barista crafted Coffee which pairs excellently with tempting cakes and bakes that are made right here in Hackney.

Freshly made ‘to go’ food options are available for a tasty bite to eat on the move, as well as signature hot dishes from the kitchen. With a wide range of options available to suit all tastes and dietary requirements, there’s something for everyone.

Both the upstairs main café and the downstairs kiosk also serve ice cream cones, blended to order smoothies, ice cream milkshakes, London Fields ales and other seasonal beverages:

• menu

Clissold splash pad

We recently consulted park users and local residents on plans for a new children’s splash pad in Clissold Park. 1155 people took part, telling us what their likes, dislikes and suggested improvements.

Some of the most popular suggestions were more shade, more benches and providing a separate toddler area – you can see everything people told us in the Clissold splash pad consultation report.

Following feedback the designs were revised, and planning permission granted in December 2021. A contractor will be appointed in early 2022, with work starting in spring 2022 and the new facility opening in summer 2022.

Clissold paddling pool consultation

The old paddling pool has reached the end of its life and has been closed on health and safety grounds. As part of the splash pad consultation, we also asked people to vote from a range of options for old paddling pool space.

Over 1,000 people voted, but we also received a significant number of alternative suggestions for the space. As a result, we’ll be undertaking further engagement once the splash pad has been delivered. You can find the results of the vote on pages 11-12 and 23-24 of the Clissold splash pad consultation report.

Animals

Our collection of animals is one of the most popular features of Clissold Park. There are birds, goats and a small herd of fallow deer.

• animals in Clissold Park fact sheet

Deer management

Deer have lived in the park since 1890, just one year after the Park was opened. Fallow deer typically live for around 10-12 years. We have a non-breeding herd, which means that there are no natural replacements for elderly deer.

In November 2016, seven young deer were introduced and some of the older deer were moved to a private deer park in Devon, about 4 times the size of the Clissold Park deer paddock.

Terrapins in the lakes

These animals have been introduced to the lakes and are considered invasive in the UK.

We’re investigating a number of options for the humane capture and removal of the terrapins from both lakes in Clissold, but there are a number of challenges in this respect – notably the lack of organisations that would be able to capture them, or organisations that would take them once captured.

Holding your own events and activities

You can put on plays, films, live or recorded music, and dance performances in our licensed area. Find out about holding events in parks.

Clissold Park User Group (CPUG)

The Clissold Park User Group work closely with us on joint projects. The group meets approximately every two months.

Barbecues

Barbecues are not allowed in Clissold Park.

Dogs

Dogs are not allowed in the play area or sports facilities. Council officers have the power to request that you put your dog on a lead if it’s behaving aggressively, causing damage, or if you don’t have appropriate control over it. More information on dogs in parks.

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