Knyveton Gardens is one of the more comprehensively equipped small parks in Bournemouth, tucked between the town centre and Boscombe with entrances off Southcote Road and Frances Road. It's less a scenic showpiece than a genuine community green space, the kind of park with a bowls green, tennis courts and a play area rather than just lawns to look at.
History
Dorset's Historic Environment Record shows the gardens already established by 1924, with tennis courts and a bowling green marked on the Ordnance Survey map of that date, making it one of the older recreation grounds in the town. Part of the site previously served as a brickyard before it was laid out as a park.
What's there
Three full-sized tennis courts are run by St Sebastian Tennis Academy, and the Knyveton Gardens Bowling Club plays out of the green and pavilion. Elsewhere in the gardens there's a sensory garden built around a goldfish pond, a children's play area, a nature trail with information posts on local wildlife, and a table tennis table for anyone who brings their own equipment. BCP Council also runs monthly "Parks in Mind" walking sessions here.
Visiting
The gardens are free and open access, with unrestricted paths for wheelchairs and buggies throughout, disabled parking near the Frances Road entrance, and disabled toilets in the bowls pavilion when it's staffed. There's on-road parking along Frances Road, and it's an easy 11-minute walk from Bournemouth railway station. It's one of several quieter green spaces away from the seafront, explore more in our guide to things to do in Bournemouth.