Local Attractions in Taunton – Hamilton Gault Park

Hamilton Gault Park is a vibrant hub for locals and tourists, offering a wide range of experiences to suit diverse interests. For nature lovers, the park brims with carefully maintained gardens and native flora, providing a tranquil setting for strolls or picnics. 

The park’s landscape is designed to offer stunning vistas, making it an idyllic spot to unwind and embrace the peaceful surroundings. For fitness enthusiasts, the park offers expansive trails perfect for jogging, walking, or cycling, and an outdoor gym equipped with robust fitness facilities. These pathways also offer plenty of opportunities to spot local wildlife. 

Families will appreciate the well-designed play areas that provide safe and engaging environments for children to expend their endless energy. The park also hosts occasional cultural events and craft fairs, ensuring there’s always something new to discover and enjoy.

Upon arriving in Taunton via Berrys Coaches, passengers disembark at the main town drop-off location near the Kings Arms Taunton / Elms Parade stop on Staplegrove Road. Hamilton Gault Park is located approximately 1.8 miles southeast of this drop-off point. A short taxi or drive takes under 10 minutes, while walking takes about 35 to 40 minutes on foot.

The generic directions listed above suggest heading via Corporation Street, North Street, and East Street, which takes walkers through the main shopping thoroughfares. To navigate there directly:

Exit the coach stop area onto Staplegrove Road and head southeast toward the town centre, continuing onto Bridge Street.

Cross the River Tone and turn right onto North Street, which becomes East Street.

At the end of East Street, head southeast onto Silver Street (A38) and continue as it transitions into East Reach and then Churt Road/Hamilton Road.

Follow Hamilton Road eastward for about 10 minutes, and the entrances to Hamilton Gault Park will appear on your right.

Hamilton Gault Park owes its existence to one of 20th-century Somerset’s most colourful and distinguished figures, Brigadier Andrew Hamilton Gault. Born in England to a wealthy Canadian family, Gault was a decorated military hero who famously raised and financed the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry at his own expense in 1914 – the last privately raised regiment in the British Empire.

After settling at nearby Hatch Court in Somerset following World War I, Gault entered local politics and served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1924 to 1935. On December 31, 1931, in a grand gesture of philanthropy during the Great Depression, MP Hamilton Gault officially signed over the land via deed of gift to the townspeople of Taunton, establishing a permanent public park for open-air exercise and community recreation.

In recognition of its origins and the military legacy of its benefactor, Hamilton Gault Park was formally designated as a protected Centenary Field in partnership with Fields in Trust and The Royal British Legion. This legally safeguards the green space in perpetuity, ensuring it remains an enduring, protected haven for sports, community events, and outdoor play while honouring the memory of those who served in World War I.