The beautiful Gateshead park with its own gothic mansion and a boating lake families can’t get enough of

Saltwell Park was soon dubbed ‘The People’s Park’ after originally opening in 1876 – and that ideology has stood the test of time. The park itself had fallen into disrepair in the late 20th century, until a 2005 restoration project which saw £9.6 million of funding pumped back into it.

It’s now easy to see why it is one of the most popular places on Tyneside for families to flock for a day out. In terms of my personal history with the park, it feels like I must have visited hundreds of times as a child.

I distinctly remember playing in the two playgrounds either side of the ever-present ice cream van that I would get a 99 from on the way out.

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Coming back to the park as an adult was an interesting experience, as I don’t think I had ever been able to appreciate the beauty of the place until that morning.

Walking past the old bandstand and going over the bridge to Saltwell Towers brought back a lot of good memories for me, and I knew I had to nip into the tearoom inside the gothic-style Towers, as I went their frequently when I was younger.

While I was in the tearoom, I spoke to three of the women who work there, Michelle, Victoria and Hayley. Michelle went into more detail about the Towers as well as Saltwell Park as a whole, discussing how it has changed in the 15 years she has worked there.

She said: “I started working here in 2008, and I absolutely love the job. For one, its a beautiful place to work, and it is also great to see both new and returning faces coming in for a coffee or something to eat.

“There is still work being done to improve the park which is good to see, just recently we had a new patio fitted outside which looks great. There is also a venue upstairs where people get married and hold functions so the Towers itself is quite versatile.

“We get people from places like Yorkshire that come up to visit Saltwell Park, as I think it still has a reputation of being a great outdoor space. There are also events such as the bonfire night fireworks, the Race for Life and the weekly Park Runs which keep the community fully involved in the park.”

After leaving Saltwell Towers, I took a walk over to the main section of the park, where the lake and the largest field are. The lake comes to life during the summer months with pedalos and rowing boats available to hire which is incredibly popular among families. Gateshead residents might know this as the area where the bonfire night fireworks take place.

I then walked up the field towards the newest addition to the park, Prism Coffee. Owned and operated by Daniel Francisco, Prism Coffee is an eco-friendly takeaway coffee shop with outside seating in a fantastic location, overlooking the boating lake.

Having opened Prism Coffee just six weeks ago, Daniel spoke about why he decided to open the shop in Saltwell Park, and how his first six weeks of business have been.

He said: “I’m originally from London and my wife is from Chester-le-Street, and we would always walk our dogs in Saltwell Park so that’s when this building first caught my attention. After our daughter was born, I wanted a change in career from my retail job so I could see her more, and this was the perfect fit for what I wanted.

“I’ve always been interested in coffee so I knew this is what I wanted to do, and with this building sitting empty for over a decade, it felt like a massive opportunity. I was able to get in touch with the council and then plan now is to be here all year round bar January, and to serve the dog walking community as well as families that are visiting.

“Nowadays, I feel like people want an experience as they will get their shopping online if they don’t get that. We support local businesses as well when it comes to sourcing our products, and combining the cafe with an eco corner shop also means that people can grab anything they need when out on a dog walk.”

My final stop on my tour of the park was the beautiful Komatsu City Friendship Garden, which was given to the people of Gateshead as a gift from Komatsu city in Japan in 2011, to mark the 20 years of friendship celebration.

The garden is ornate, with water features, Japanese style stones and pergolas, and it is one of the most visually appealing parts of the park in my opinion. For me, it was the perfect place to stop off before I headed out of the park.

It’s clear to see that Saltwell Park is still a very popular place in the North East, with a good mix of the traditional and the modern. The historic tearooms in the centre are testament to that, as is the new Prism Coffee and the ornate Japanese garden.

It would be great to see more funding going in to Saltwell Park to not just maintain the fantastic facilities and landmarks that are already there, but also to modernise it further and ensure that it is still the place to go with children in Gateshead for generations to come.

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