Youngs Park

About Us

Goodrington’s Youngs Park is a natural habitat for swans, geese and wild birds and is perfect for family picnics with children of all ages plus the family dog.  Enjoy the Boating Lake (where model boat enthusiasts are often launching their treasures), have a go at crazy golf and enjoy some delightful walks in the parkland and up into the terraced Rock Walk Gardens, which are lit up at dusk. 

In the Park there is a lone grave which bemuses curious visitors. 'The Major's Grave' has a granite headstone with a simple inscription. Goodrington Park was consecrated ground - a significant fact which helps to dismiss the theory that this is a grave of a suicide victim. However, 300 French sailors are reputedly buried beneath the park. A convent of Roman Catholic nuns cared for French prisoners of war. The Major was supposed killed in action but because he was English and a Major, he had the privilege of a head-stone and a marked grave. During the Napoleonic wars there was a hospital in Goodrington Park. It later became a private house, a catholic nunnery, and later a rather drab looking Hotel. It is now a friendly family Pub frequented by locals and visitors alike. However, casting an eye over the doorways and along the walls, will reveal its history as a hospital. Each area and room is still listed as a hospital ward.

In 1931, 80,000 tons of sandstone had to be moved in an attempt to prevent coastal erosion. The zigzag paths which weave across the headland looked raw and stark so Herbert Whitley kindly provided many subtropical plants, shrubs and trees to heal the scars and create some lovely surroundings.