Walton Park

Facilities

• Bowling Club houses
• Bowling Green
• Tennis courts
• Full size football pitch
• Under 5s Play Area
• Under 14s Play Area
• Miniature railway ride

Items of interest

The miniature railway is about 1/4 mile long and accommodates locomotives of 5 inch and 3 1/2 inch gauge. It was provided and is run and maintained by members of the Sale Area Model Engineering Society. The railway is operated on Sundays, weather and availability of engines permitting. The society currently charges 30p per ride for both children and adults.

Anyone wishing to join the Society should enquire at the Club House (situated within the track area) any Sunday afternoon. For further information please visit the Sale Area Model Engineering Society website.

History

The land occupied by the park was formerly an open space. The park was laid out in 1938 and opened to the public in 1939.

Walton Park Ladies Bowing Club was formed in September 1942 with the support and cooperation of the existing men's bowling club. Both clubs are still in existence today, some 60 years later.

At ten to midnight on Tuesday 3rd August 1943, a Wellington bomber with a crew of five Royal Australian Air Force and one Royal Air Force personnel crashed onto what is now the football pitch. The aircraft was on a training mission. At the time of the crash this area had been turned over to vegetable allotments as part of the "Dig for Victory", civilian war effort. The pilot and bomb aimer were killed.

In 1953 gates were erected at the Walton Road entrance to commemorate the Coronation of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1972 the Sale Area Model Engineering Society was given a lease of land in the park by Sale Council to build a miniature railway. The track was completed in 1977 and is still in operation today, some thirty years later.

Accessibility

For more detailed information about the accessibility of Walton Park, please visit the DisabledGo website.