Lakeside Country Park

50.957°N 1.364°W / 50.957; -1.364

Lakeside Country Park
Beach Lake, one of the three lakes in the park
TypeCountry park
LocationEastleigh, Hampshire, UK
Coordinates50.957°N 1.364°W / 50.957; -1.364
Area60 acres (240,000 m2)
Operated byEastleigh Borough Council
StatusOpen all year

Lakeside Country Park is a country park just south of the town of Eastleigh in Hampshire. The park covers 60 acres[1] and is home to the Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway.

The park is on the site of old gravel workings, with lakes formed from gravel pits.[1] As well as the lakes themselves, the park boasts meadows and some young woodland.[1]

The park is bounded by the Eastleigh urban area to the north, the A335 road to the east, the boundary between Eastleigh and Southampton to the south, and Monks Brook to the west.

Eastleigh Lakeside Railway
Eastleigh Lakeside station is the centre of operations for the Eastleigh Lakeside Railway
Lakeside County Park Railway
Track Layout[2]
Monks Brook Playground
Station and workshops

A dual gauge 10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) / 7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) light railway was established in the park in 1992, originally as a temporary layout.[3] A more permanent track was laid down in 1993, as the railway company was granted a three-year lease.[3] Five years later, a longer lease was negotiated and construction began on the two stations, Eastleigh Parkway and Monks Brook.[3] They were opened in 1999, although further work on the layout itself was carried out in 2000.[3] A tunnel was added in 2003, and Eastleigh Parkway station was extended in 2005 with the addition of a café and shop.[3]

NumberNameTypeRailwayGaugeNotesImage
1001The MonarchSteamELR10
1001 The Monarch
1002The EmpressSteamExample10
The Empress
1003Western QueenSteamSBCR10.25Under Restoration
Western Queen 1003
2005Silver JubileeSteamExample10
2005 Silver Jubilee
2006Edward VIIISteamSBCR10
Edward VIII Train
21C1Channel PacketSteamSOUTHERN10
21C1 Channel Packet
35004Cunard White StarSteamSOUTHERN10.25
35004 ELR
7Sandy RiverSteamELR10
Sandy River
70055Rob RoySteamBritish Rail10
Rob Roy ELR
850Lord NelsonSteamSOUTHERN10
850 Lord Nelson
4498Sir Nigel GresleySteamA4 Pacific10
Sir Nigel Gresley ELR
10Sir Arthur HeywoodSteamELR7.25
Heywood
4789William BakerSteamAtlantic7.25
3Francis Henry LloydSteamELR7.25
1908Ernest Henry UptonSteamSOUTHERN10
D1994EastleighDieselELR10
92FlorenceDieselELR10
3221University of SouthamptonElectric PropulsionELR10
N/ADavid CurwenSteamDR7.25
761TawSteamSOUTHERN7.25
N/ASanjoSteamSJAANR7.25
N/AIdrisSteamMHLR7.25

[4]

Water sports centre

In 2014 funding was approved towards the replacement of the lakeside buildings with two new buildings with improved toilets and changing facilities, storage, offices and a multi-purpose function room. The estimated cost of the scheme is £2.5 million, of which £1 million had been allocated from the New Homes Bonus and £371,000 from the Eastleigh Local Area Committee. The new buildings were completed in late 2016.[5]

Open water swimming clubs have been run from the venue since at least 2010,[6] and, as of 2017, swimming sessions are currently operated by HOWL Multisports.[7]

References
  1. Eastleigh Borough Council: Lakeside Country Park Archived 12 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2 July 2014
  2. "Track Layout".
  3. Eastleigh Lakeside Railway: History of the Railway at Lakeside Archived 24 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 21 September 2007
  4. https://www.steamtrain.co.uk/locomotives
  5. "Plans for a new water sports centre move a step closer". Eastleigh Borough Council. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  6. "Free swimming at Eastleigh's Lakeside". Daily Echo. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  7. "Open Water Swimming Opens In Hampshire". www.britishtriathlon.org. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
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