It closed down more than 20 years ago but that wasn’t the end
Families enjoying a Christmas-themed visit in 2003(Image: Bristol Post archive)
A family-run tourist attraction near Bristol offered tractor rides and mini steam train trips before its closure decades ago. Old Down Country Park has since reopened and remains a popular destination today for a day out with kids, but its offering is slightly different compared to its predecessor of the same name.
Old photos and articles from the Bristol Post, the sister print title of Bristol Live, have documented the site’s history since it opened to the public in the 1980s in Tockington, near Thornbury.
Back then, owners Robert and Alison Bernays began the business by opening their country home to engage people with farming and the ways of rural life. Mr Bernays told the Post in 2004: “It first began in 1980 when we opened up our strawberry fields for people to pick their own and five years later we added the farm shop.
“People wanted somewhere to eat so we provided a restaurant in 1986 then opened up the woodlands and adventure equipment in 1990. A year later we opened the farm, including the farm animals, to the visitors. It has been a gradual development and it has also been enormously enjoyable.”
He was speaking ahead of the park’s closure that same year, 2004, following his decision to retire after 25 years building the attraction. The Post reported: “In that time more than a million visitors have enjoyed a day out at Oldown.
“Many of them, especially children, went along to see the farmyard animals including pigs, chicks and goats. Jack the donkey and Tetley the pony are among the current favourites and they will eventually settle into their new home at HorseWorld in Whitchurch.
‘Pig race’ at Oldown Country Park in 2000(Image: Bristol Post archive)
“Miniature steam train rides took visitors through the grounds and there were also pedal go-karts, tractor rides and sculpture trails to enjoy. Mr Bernays said the final season had been busy and successful, with the park being involved in Bristol’s first Festival of Nature. The closing of Oldown will be marked by a fireworks party.”
A subsequent article explained that the estate was put up for sale following the closure, and was bought by Tubular Bells musician Mike Oldfield. It was sold again in 2008 but it wasn’t until 2011 that it reopened to the public again, having been taken over and turned into a luxury hotel.
Pupils from Chipping Sodbury try out the new children’s ‘Fork Lift Trucks’ at Oldown Country Park in 1998(Image: Bristol Post archive)
An October 2011 report in the Post reflected: “Six years ago the Tubular Bells musician (Oldfield) bought the imposing Grade II listed manor house in a deal worth around £5 million. Before it fell into private hands the six-bedroom home, with spectacular views over the River Severn, was the popular Oldown Country Park, visited over the years by thousands of parents and their children.
“The house was built in 1854 and was called Fern Park…The building will reopen as an up-market venue after the latest owners pumped millions into renovating the building.”
(Image: Bristol Post archive)
The report also noted the return of petting zoo animals to the site, as well as a programme of events and event space suitable for weddings, parties and conferences. The new owner was named as “local businessman Arron Banks “, who is still listed today on Companies House as the director of Old Down events.
Santa Steam Special at Oldown Country Park, 2003(Image: Bristol Post archive)
Banks, who became known for being a major Brexit donor, recently ran as the Reform UK party’s metro mayor candidate for the West of England, narrowly missing out – he secured 45,252 votes compared to the 51,197 votes that won the election for Labour’s Helen Godwin.
Old Down still operates as a spa hotel and also welcomes day-trippers, who can enjoy ‘beautiful gardens and woodlands, adventure play areas, many different animals great and small, an on-site café and farm shop’. It’s also known for its firework display on Bonfire Night, which is back for 2025 and is advertised as ‘Bristol’s only low noise firework event’.