Set in the Gloucestershire countryside, Eastwood Park is an estate with a long, complex, and fascinating history. Today, it is home to two distinct sites: a modern, purpose-built Training Centre and the historic Eastwood Park Country House. While they sit on the same estate and share a common heritage, each now serves a very different role.

The Origins of Eastwood Park

The story of Eastwood Park begins in the 19th century. Construction of Eastwood Park House started in 1820 and was completed in 1865 for the Jenkinson family of Bristol. Known for their love of travel and adventure, the family created a Victorian country house that still retains many of its original features today.

The Country House stands as a reminder of Eastwood Park’s early life as a private family estate, elegant, impressive, and firmly rooted in its time.

An Estate That Has Continually Evolved

Over the decades, Eastwood Park has adapted to the needs of each era:

1936: The Home Office established an Anti-Gas School, reflecting pre-war national priorities.
1945–1960s: The site later became a police training centre.
1964–1980s: Parts of the estate were used as a detention centre for boys, a period now recognised as deeply troubling and an important part of the site’s history.
1969: The Department of Health & Social Security acquired the estate and established the Hospital Engineering Centre, beginning Eastwood Park’s long-standing role in technical training.

This marked a turning point, from institutional use to education and professional development.

The Birth of the Modern Training Centre

In 1992, management transferred to the Avon & Gloucestershire College of Health, and the site became known as the Eastwood Park NHS Training & Conference Centre.

A successful management buy-out in 2003 led to the formation of Eastwood Park Ltd, securing the future of the organisation as an independent training provider.

Today, Eastwood Park Training Centre operates from its own purpose-built facility, separate from the historic house. This modern building is designed specifically for professional and technical training, with no compromise on realism or safety.

Hands-On Training That Reflects Real Life

The Training Centre is recognised for offering some of the most realistic hands-on training environments in the UK, including live medical gas systems, purpose-built lift facilities, specialist decontamination rigs and simulated healthcare settings.

While textbooks and standards are essential, Eastwood Park focuses on practical learning that enables delegates to develop real competence by working on authentic systems in a controlled environment.

Our comprehensive training portfolio reflects the depth of our expertise and covers all core estates, facilities and technical disciplines critical to modern healthcare engineering and estates teams:

Medical Equipment — Highly practical courses for biomedical engineers focused on safety, servicing and performance verification of clinical devices.
Medical Gases — Competent and Authorised Person training delivered on one of the UK’s few live medical gas pipeline systems outside a hospital.
Water Hygiene — Specialist courses covering HTM 04-01, ACoP L8, HSG 274 and practical water system compliance.
Lifts — Hands-on lift safety training in our multi-storey lift maintenance facility, supporting compliance with HTM 08-02 and workforce competence.
Decontamination — Practical decontamination training on a wide range of real equipment in line with NHS and industry guidance.
Mechanical — Skilled and Authorised Person training for safe work within complex mechanical systems.
Fire Safety — Courses aligned to the latest safety standards to support estates teams in fire risk management and compliance.
Health & Safety — Essential training for estates professionals, including COSHH and asbestos awareness.
Heating & Ventilation — Competent and Authorised Person HVAC training to monitor, test, maintain and manage ventilation systems under HTM guidance.
Electrical — High and low voltage electrical training tailored for the needs of healthcare estates and engineering teams.
Estate & Facilities Management — A broad portfolio designed for those responsible for the safety, performance and reliability of their organisation’s estate.

Across all these areas, delegates benefit from our expert trainers, immersive facilities, and a learning environment that bridges the gap between theory and practice, equipping them with the confidence and capability to meet both current and emerging challenges in healthcare estates and engineering.

Hospital Environments – Without the Pressure

One of the centre’s greatest strengths is its ability to replicate hospital environments without the pressures of a live clinical setting. Learners can practise, troubleshoot, and even make mistakes in a safe environment, a far better outcome than discovering issues on a working ward.

The range of facilities is second to none. When the new facilities were built, Eastwood Park Training took great pride in creating state-of-the-art, purpose-built surroundings where delegates can train and develop with confidence. These facilities reflect Eastwood Park Training’s strong commitment to hands-on, practical learning. With new courses developed regularly, existing courses continually updated, and learning standards maintained at the highest level, Eastwood Park Training delivers an exceptional training experience.

It’s a space designed for learning first, confidence second, and compliance always.

A Shared Estate, A Clear Purpose

Although the Training Centre and Country House are now separate buildings with distinct roles, they remain connected by their shared history and setting.

Together, they represent what Eastwood Park has always been, a place that adapts, evolves, and continues to serve people in meaningful ways.

From Victorian family home to modern centre of technical excellence, Eastwood Park is an estate that continues to look forward while respecting its past.