Kearsney Parks

Kearsney Abbey and Russell Gardens are the most popular, historic parks in Dover. They are located 2.5 miles north west of Dover town centre in the Alkham Valley, part of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Alkham Valley Road separates Kearsney Abbey (in the Parish of River) and Russell Gardens which is in Temple Ewell.

Both parks are carefully designed landscapes. Thousands of tonnes of earth were moved and trees planted to create the slopes, woods, water courses and lake. The River Dour, a spring-fed chalk stream, flows through the parks. Combined with ornamental lakes, this gives the parks a picturesque landscape style.

The origins of both parks can be traced back to grand country houses and estates built for prominent local industrialists in the early 19th and 20th centuries.

www.KearsneyParks.co.uk

Kearsney Abbey is laid out in an informal style. Its 10 acres of open parkland and lakes are popular with families.

Although never a monastic estate, the history of Kearsney Abbey can be traced back to the Norman Conquest.

The park as it exists today can be attributed to John Minet Fector, a local banker and merchant, who built a grand mansion on the site between 1820-1822.

Two adjoining ornamental lakes on the course of the River Dour provide a haven for water fowl. Kearsney Abbey also has a fine collection of specimen trees, including Beech, Lime and Yew. A prominent feature is a Cedar of Lebanon which is believed to be one of the oldest specimens in the country.

Russell Gardens is Grade II Listed in the English Heritage Register of Parks & Gardens of Special Historic Interest. It covers 10 hectares and is laid out in a formal style.

Originally known as Kearsney Court Park & Gardens, they were designed by the renowned Edwardian landscape architect, Thomas H. Mawson (1861-1933). Kearsney Court is believed to be one of the first independent commissions by Mawson, and is a very rare example of his work in the south east. Several set piece photographs of Kearsney Court were included in Mawson's book, The Art & Craft of Garden Making, which became a standard reference in its day.

The challenging steep terrain of the Alkham Valley provided Mawson with the ideal opportunity to create his signature design features - great terraces, pergolas and architectural features in a garden context. The magnificent 170m long canal pond, and Palladian-style pergola bridges and boathouse pavilion form the central architectural features of the park.

Autumn 2025 update

With the autumn months upon us, the parks are full of the colours of the season and 'spell-binding' things to see and do for all the family.

This included a frightfully fun Halloween event at Kearsney Abbey last week, where visitors were invited to find hidden letters spelling out a Halloween phrase, and to get creative at our Halloween craft station.

The Kearsney Parks Calendar for 2026 is just being finalised, with a whole range of fantastic photos of the parks. The new calendar is set to be available to purchase from the cafe in November. Thanks to everyone for all the amazing pictures that continue to be sent in, and congratulations to all the photographers included in the 2026 calendar. For more details, please see the Kearsney Parks website.

And a big thank you goes out to our fantastic volunteers who continue their excellent work throughout the parks. If you are interested in volunteering, and would like to be put on our database, please get in touch at kearsney.parks@dover.gov.uk

The lily pond in Russell Gardens has been emptied and cleaned. We have also bought a new electric parks utility vehicle that enables the park ranger to carry out maintenance across the sites, while helping us to look after the environment and reduce carbon emissions going forward.

We are working closely with the Environment Agency and Historic England to obtain the necessary permissions for renovation works to the listed pergola bridges in Russell Gardens.

Please note, the main car park in Kearsney Abbey has changed to winter opening times, which is from 7am to 7pm, and is locked overnight.