Aims

The vision for Horkesley Park is to be an outstanding regional visitor centre devoted to many facets of the English countryside, for the enjoyment and benefit of local people as well as visitors to the areas. With particular emphasis given to “living” heritage and East Anglian rural life – past, present and future – the vision incorporates the following key aims:

Wildflower Meadows

to create a sustainable tourism attraction dedicated to East Anglia’s agricultural and cultural heritage;
to support the regional and local economy and create better recreational and leisure facilities to meet the needs of a growing population;
to rekindle and safeguard valued aspects of traditional English rural and artistic life;
to contribute and support Colchester’s vision to become a prestigious Regional Centre;
to provide a focal point for a deeper understanding of the Stour Valley landscape and its rural resources;

to relieve some of the harmful pressures on the main tourism locations at Dedham, East Bergholt and Flatford;
to be an educational resource in many areas including conservation, heritage, food production and sustainable measures;

The Lecture Theatre Learning about Renewable Energy

to create a deeper appreciation of the life and times of John Constable;
to help pull back the Suffolk Horse breed from near extinction by increasing the numbers of Suffolk Punches, promoting them in work and at shows, and ensuring the continuation of the necessary traditional skills and know-how;
to provide, directly or indirectly, jobs for as many local people as possible during the restoration, creation, construction and fit-out pre-operational phases;
to be an important provider of apprenticeships and other training opportunities;

to be a place for all ages and interests set in a large country park conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the area for people to have access to and enjoy as a quality environment; and
to aid the local rural economy not only by the creation of a range of new quality jobs but also by the promotion and marketing of local and regional rural produce.

Horkesley Park will bring together these diverse but compatible key aims for those living locally or further afield who wish to visit the Essex countryside and in particular the internationally renowned “Constable Country”.