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Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park

View larger map Address: Upper Malone Road, BT17 9LA

Entrance to the park is via Upper Malone Road. For The Stables coffee shop, use the lower entrance (towards Drumbeg). Take Ulsterbus no. 21 to Drumbeg from the Europa Bus Station in Belfast city centre (Mondays to Fridays only) or use Metro no. 8 A-C.

In July 2012, Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park was awarded the Green Flag Award, which recognises the best open spaces in the UK. It is one of ten of our parks, cemeteries and open spaces to receive this award.

Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park in south Belfast is one of our most popular parks. It is home to the City of Belfast International Rose Garden, which attracts thousands of visitors to our Rose Week celebrations, which take place in July each year.

Covering more than 128 acres, the park is made up of rolling meadows, copses, woodland and gardens and is home to a wide range of plants and animals. An ideal base for exploring nearby Lagan Valley Regional Park, it contains international camellia trials, a walled garden, a Japanese-style garden with water features for quiet contemplation, children's playground and orienteering and eco trails. There is also a bottle bank, barbecue area, picnic tables and full car parking facilities.

The Stables coffee shop offers tea, coffee and a selection of freshly baked treats and hot and cold foods. It is open from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Sunday, and is also available for private events. For bookings, call 028 9061 3893.

• Download menu for the Stables restaurant and coffee shop (PDF - 385KB)

You can find out more about the park by viewing the video clip and picture gallery on this page. You need to have Adobe Flash Player 10 installed on your computer to use these features. Press the 'play' button to begin watching.

Opening hours

All our parks open at 7.30am daily. Closing times vary according to the time of year - check full opening hours for parks

The Stables coffee shop is open from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Sunday.

Events

Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park is home to Rose Week, which offers music, entertainment and flower displays each July.

• Read more about Rose Week

The park also hosts regular events, including band performances and family fun days. Details of these are available in our park events section.

• View all park events (by month)

Contact details

For more information, call the park manager on 07802 301860 (Monday to Friday only, 9am to 4.30pm) or email quinns@belfastcity.gov.uk

Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park has also been assessed by Disabled Go to check how accessible it is to people with disabilities.

• Accessibility information about Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park

Walking routes

Located adjacent to Lagan Valley Regional Park and the Lagan towpath, Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park is popular with both walkers and joggers.

• Download walking route for Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park (PDF - 543KB)

You can also follow a 10km waymarked trail between the park and Divis Mountain. This route covers some of the most attractive open spaces in west and south Belfast, including Glenside Community Woodland, upper and lower Colin Glen, Dunmurry, Jubilee and Fullerton Parks and Divis and Black Mountains.

Virtual tour

A 360° panoramic tour of Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park is available from the Virtual Visit website. You will need to have Javascript enabled to view the tour.

• View virtual tour of Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park

History

Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park was donated to the people of Belfast by Lady Dixon in 1959, in memory of her late husband, Sir Thomas.

Originally formed in the mid-18th century as part of the Wilmont estate, the park was first owned by the Stewarts, a farming family from Scotland. The estate was used for growing crops and bleaching linen and the main family house stood on the site of what is now the park's lower car park.

In the mid-1800s, the estate was bought by the Bristow family. A family home, Wilmont House, was designed by Thomas Jackson for the Bristows and completed in 1859.

The estate, which also included a walled garden, informal planting areas and gate lodges, attracted a number of different owners before it was taken over by the Dixons in 1919.

During World War II, American troops were stationed in the grounds of the estate while their officers lived in Wilmont House. Lady Dixon was well-known for her work with the troops and was created Dame of the British Empire as a result. Before she died in 1959, she donated the estate to the city of Belfast in memory of her late husband, a former High Sheriff of Belfast.

The site was re-opened as Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park later that year.