Primley Park

Primley Park is a public open space which first opened its gates in 1995 and since then it has become a very popular place for those seeking more natural surroundings in the middle of Paignton.  Once the extended garden of Paignton Zoos founder Herbert Whitley, the park is now available to anyone. 

The Park is edged all around by trees sheltering it away from the town and once inside the visitor can walk around the meadow and woodland and feel removed from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

The meadow gives Primley its name as it comes from the term ‘prime lea’ or ‘best meadow’ and was grazed by horses prior to it being opened to the public. With open hay meadow, specimen trees and large scrub banks the meadow is very scenic and great habitat for nature. We are currently working hard to make meadow even better for wildlife by taking annual hay crops and increasing the numbers and species of flowering plants.

The woodland has some wonderful mature trees of significant age, up to 160 years old, that have developed features such as rot holes, splits and flaking bark that provides fantastic habitat for insects, fungi, bats and birds to name a few.



Whilst these features are good for wildlife they can be hazardous to people and so we manage our trees carefully, carrying out surgery to keep them safe but maintain their survival. Surrounding these giant islands is a sea of dense natural regeneration of trees that is around 40 years old. These trees grew too fast upwards due to the dense competition and so need to be thinned to promote better structure of them and the woodland as a whole. The best time of year to visit the woods is the spring when the bluebells and wild garlic carpet the ground.