Vivash Park

What We Do

Westbury Town Council are proud to be the owners of its first open space.
Vivash Park is an urban park, positioned off Slag Lane and Hawkeridge Road and situated a 15 minute walk from the train station.
The 11 acres of land has a fishing lake, pond, picnic area and exercise trail, with a vast biodiversity. A recent ecological report found 5 species of bats as well as several birds included on the RSPB red and amber list, along with dragonflies, newts, other insects, and several different species of fish.

The park is well used by walkers and dog owners. With an exercise trail that leads you around the park, there is a picnic area, which is ideal for lovely family events or just a met up with friends. There are plenty of benches to pause and take in the fresh air and the view of the White Horse as well as the wildflowers. The pond is perfect for natural studies with its insects and amphibians and then there is the fishing lake with Carp, Tench, Roach, Rudd, Pike, and Perch.

The hedgerow along the north-eastern edge of the site survives along a boundary depicted on the 1842 Tithe Map, and as such can be considered a historic heritage asset. This is the only recorded heritage asset that survives within the site. It is probable that remains associated with a Roman settlement once extended into the site. Finds of Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age date have also been recovered from the area to the north-west of the site, and prehistoric features may also have encroached within the site

Since Westbury town council took ownership of the land at the end of November 2022, we have installed boulders at the car park, height barrier and bollards as well as 5 new bins.

There will be other improvements made to the park and each improvement is aimed to keep the land as natural as possible. Vast improvements are being made at the fishing lake with new fishing pegs/platforms now installed.

The maintenance of the land is scheduled with Idverde and will include grass cutting from March till end of October twice a month, allowing a wild meadow area to grow around the park and these will be cut twice a year once in March and once in September. This is to aid in the biodiversity and seeding of the wildflowers. With 9 bins in situ these are scheduled for weekly emptying. All of the scheduled work for maintaining the park will be monitored and adjustments made where they are required in the best interest of the park.

Westbury town council will be looking to hold events at the park, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Fishing Lake

The fishing lake has several fishing pegs/platforms, freshwater fish such as Carp, Tench, Roach, Rudd, Pike, Perch can be found in the lake, The lake has many birds visiting on a regular basis some registered with the listed on the UK conservation status of Red and Amber. And then we have the majestic swans that are often found here at the lake. Along with sightings of otters. Swans frequent the lake along with many other birds.

The lake is available to fish for those that have a fishing licence.

Rules for fishing at the lake:

The fishing lake consists of freshwater fish such as Carp, Tench, Roach, Rudd, Pike, Perch, and signal cray fish which is an invasive species. Please follow the strict guidelines laid out below for fishing at the lake. It is expected of all fishermen to remove their litter when leaving the lake, there are bins available.

The use of keep nets is prohibited
Barbless hooks only
No braid of any kind, nospodding, boilies only to be used as hooked bait
No bait boats
Maximum of 2 rods per person
All tackle must be drawn from the water if unattended
No buzzers; to be used
Please dispose of all litter i.e., cans, bottles, cigarette butts in the bins provided. Do NOT leave around or throw into the lake.
Please put discarded line and hooks in the bins provided or take them home
Unused bait to be put in the bin or to be taken home – NOT dumped in or by the lake
No swimming, BBQ, fires,or radios
Please treat the fish with respect
Do NOT throw or drop the fish back into the water
Failure to comply with these rules may result in a ban from the lake and reported to fishing regulators/licence?
No standing whilst holding fish
Unhooking matts to be always used
No Transferring of fish

Exercise Trail

The exercise trail is set around the centre part of the park and designed to help work various aspects of fitness. There are 5 exercise stations along the route from balancing steps and beams to pull ups. Follow the hard surface path and incorporating the exercising with a run to each piece of equipment for a good work out. With each lap approx. 500m, 3 laps would give you approximately a mile in your work out.

Pond

The pond is situated near the centre of the park. There bulrushes that will be maintained and each year a quarter of this will be removed and left on the bank for the insects and pond life to return to the pond this is to allow biodiversity to thrive. This is an ideal spot for studying nature up close and for artist, photographers to capture dragonflies, insects and amphibians in their natural habitat.

Picnic Area

Ideal area to share with friends and families take in the view of Westbury White Horse enjoy the fresh air and open space with wildflowers surrounding the area.

Report an Issue

To report an issue at the park please raise this via the app https://eu.jotform.com/app/221703255638354
Or use our QR code:

Westbury Town Council

Please note that Westbury town council are only responsible for the open space known as Vivash Park which includes the lake and the footpath alongside the lake.

Email: info@westburytowncouncil.gov.uk

Tel: 01373 822232 (9am – 5pm Monday to Thursday, Friday 9am- 4.30pm)

For emergency out of these working hours please contact:
07584 332985
07989 134972

Wiltshire Council

For highway issues on Slag Lane or Hawkeridge Road please report these to Wiltshire Council via the MyWilts online reporting app – www.wiltshire.gov.uk/mywilts-online-reporting

Email: customerservices@wiltshire.gov.uk

Tel: 0300 456 0100 (9am – 5pm Monday to Friday)

Environment Agency

Email: Enquiries@envoironment-agency.gov.uk

Tel: 0114 282 5312

Emergency 24hr service: 0800 807 060

Please contact the environmental agency for things such as

Collapsed or badly damaged river or canal banks
Damage or danger to the natural environment
Dead fish or fish gasping for air
Flooding from any river, stream, canal, natural spring
Illegal removals from watercourses
Main rivers blocked by a vehicle or fallen tree causing risk of flooding
Poaching or illegal fishing
Pollution to water or land

Directions

Vivash Park is located off The Ham, on Hawkeridge Road / Slag Lane
Pedestrian access is via Frogmore Road, Slag Lane and Hawkeridge Road
Vehicle access is only available via Frogmore Road or Slag Lane and part of Hawkeridge Road
Access to and from The Ham via Hawkeridge Road is a bus route only
Its free to park, however parking is limited

Map

Swans

It is better to contact the RSPCA, SSPCA, USPCA or a reputable swan rescue agency, such as The Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton, than to attempt to handle a distressed swan yourself.

Swans occasionally land on busy carriageways. It is thought that thermals and wind turbulence over roads may knock the swans off balance and bring them down onto road surfaces. They need a long run before taking flight, and may be unable to take off if there is insufficient space.

If the bird is found on the road or trapped on the road, or a rescue represents a real danger to the rescuer, the police should be informed.

Swans are very attentive parents, so a young lone cygnet may mean that something is amiss. Young cygnets are very vulnerable, so if you find one that you are absolutely sure is orphaned, put it safely into a cardboard box that contains a clean cloth.

You should then contact a reputable swan rescue agency, e.g. The Shepperton Swan Sanctuary, who will give you the necessary advice on how to care for it until they can collect it. You should not attempt to hand-rear the cygnet yourself.