A perfect parkland

Dunham Massey Hall lined with autumn trees

Dunham Massey has all the elements of a great medieval deer park. On a walk through the grounds you'll see fine avenues, wide vistas, ancient trees, roaming deer and open grassland. (Please note there are currently no guided walks in the park due the coronavirus)

Please book in advance to avoid disappointment Check availability and book now

Help us to look after the deer

  • Please do not feed or approach the deer. They are wild animals and it's important they remain wild. If not, it can cause all sorts of problems for visitors and for the health of the deer.
  • Please do not picnic in the deer park. Picnic areas are available in the gardens and the north park away from the inquisitive deer who may steal your food.
  • Please take your litter home with you. This will stop the deer eating human food and plastic and getting ill.
  • Please keep your four-legged friends on a lead in the deer park to avoid spooking the deer. Dogs are free to roam off leads in the north park.
  • Cycling is for under 5s only in the park walls. Cyclists are welcome to lock their bikes in the car park, but we do ask you to pre-book.
  • BBQs are not permitted anywhere at Dunham Massey.
An ancient oak tree in the grounds of Dunham Massey

Ancient Tree Walk 

Although the parkland we see has been designed, many of the ancient elements were incorporated into the design creating layers of history going back a thousand years. You’ll see many trees with lots of dead branches and hollow trunks. These trees are going through a natural process. It is said that oaks grow for three hundred years, rest for three hundred years and slowly die for another three hundred years. The decay of heartwood in old trees is now thought to be beneficial for the tree. Fungi decay the wood allowing the tree to reabsorb nutrients which have been stored there for hundreds of years.

Doe sticking her tongue out during feeding time

A week in the life of Dunham Massey’s rangers 

Ever wondered what working life is like for the rangers at Dunham Massey?

Tree work happening in the park

In the past, Dunham Massey was fortunate to receive donations from people who wanted to plant a tree in memory of a loved one.

As with any tree over time, some survive and some do not. Unfortunately several of these trees are reaching the end of their natural life and others have been damaged by forces of nature. To ensure the future of the healthy trees, we need to remove the unhealthy or damaged trees later this year.

We understand that these trees hold special meaning for some people, so we are leaving a good period of time before work begins this Autumn. If you want to find out more about what this may mean for a tree that is special to you, please get in touch with us on at dunhammassey@nationaltrust.org.uk.

The trees and the memories of those they were planted for will forever remain part of Dunham Massey, along with their records in our memorial book.

As part of the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, plenty of work will be carried out in the park and on the wider estate. A traditional orchard will be created at Boundary Farm with 8ha of priority habitat grassland to increase biodiversity. This is one aspect of the wider tree planting ambition at Dunham Massey, where we intend to plant trees across the parkland and estate together with over 3,000m of hedgerows in partnership with City of Trees in order to capture carbon and create diverse habitats for nature to thrive.

If you want to leave a donation towards the planting of new trees, hedges or plants in memory of a loved one, with their name added to Dunham Massey’s memorial book, then please get in touch at dunhammassey@nationaltrust.org.uk.