Address: Sandhill Street, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 1TE.
Opening Times: Opening times: Open to the public every day, 365 days a year.
Access: Main entrance with small on-site parking: Sandhill Street, Secondary entrance: John Street (pedestrian), Other pedestrian entrances off: Chesterfield Canal Towpath (via footbridge), Sandy Lane (A60).
Contents
- Features and Facilities
- Attractions
- History of Sandhill Park
- Management Plan
Features and Facilities
Located to the northwest of Worksop Town Centre, sits Sandhill Lake (formerly known as Godfrey’s Pond). The lake is an elongated ‘club shape’ covering 7.6 hectares on the site of a former sand quarry. A circular walk of approximately 1.2 kilometres (0.75 miles) makes a circuit around the lake where well-established marginal vegetation and diverse waterfowl give the park its designation as a Local Wildlife Site.
- Small on-site car parking accessed by Sandhill Street with marked spaces including designated disabled spaces. (Additional parking may be available in the small car park on John Street with pedestrian entrance close by).
- Fishing Lake
- Footpaths for circular walk around the Lake and higher-level walk-through young woodland, all with semi bound surfacing
- Fishing platforms around the lake (including full accessible) managed under license by Worksop and District Anglers Association
- Small picnic areas with tables adjacent to entrance carpark and viewpoint to East of park.
Attractions
The Lake is the only link to the site’s heritage as a sand quarry; The body of water seen today having filled the void left by sand extraction. From the Lake’s life in the early 1960s as a private fishery to today’s angling managed under license, there is a heritage of over 60 years angling on site. Sandhill Lake enjoys proximity to Worksop’s amazing heritage asset, the Chesterfield Canal.
This 250-year-old heritage feature brings additional value to the site and links to National Cycle Route 6, with connections to active travel in the district and beyond.
History
The story of Sandhill Lake begins in the 18th Century, when in 1771 the construction of the Chesterfield Canal begins. This was in response to greater demand to move high volumes of both raw materials and goods by pack horse on roads which were in poor condition. The whole region was becoming increasingly industrialised and coal, coke, iron (both ore and ingots), aggregates, stone, agricultural produce and goods needed a much more efficient means of bulk transport. Sand quarrying began on site in the 1930s to supply sand to the local glassworks in Worksop.
The quarry filled with water as it was worked out and ceased operations by the mid 1950s. The quarry owner was Philip Godfrey who also owned piggeries to produce meat for his butchery business. These were situated next to the quarry and included extensive buildings that occupied around 7 hectares (17.5 acres) of land around what is now Sandhill Street. The flooded sand quarry became known locally as ‘Godfrey’s Pond’.
Despite the humble nature of sand as a raw material, it has been a significant part of Worksop’s story. The Sandhills area, Sandy Lane, Sandhill Street and the park’s name ‘Sandhill Lake’ all owe their origins to sand extraction.
Today Sandhill Lake now has a strong identity and sense of place. Families walk to Redlands School along the footpaths, and local people gain access to nature on their doorstep. There is rarely a time that dog walkers and anglers cannot be seen on site.
Management Plan
A comprehensive Management Plan for the Park has been produced by Bassetlaw District Council.
The Management Plan is used to:
- Assess and evaluate the current value of the park as a community facility
- Establish opportunities for future improvements to its facilities and features and formulate actions accordingly
- Monitor the management of the park in respect of its ongoing maintenance and future development potential.
The Plan also identifies how Sandhill Lake and its management relates to broader policies and strategies at local, regional and national level.
It is also intended the Management Plan will assist the Council in its efforts to achieve Green Flag status for the park
Last Updated on Thursday, July 16, 2026