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The NewsletterFriends of Roundhay Park

Carriage House

update

www.forp.org

WH

AT’S

INSI

DE:

PRESIDENT: MARJORIE ZIFF MBE CHAIRPERSON: JULIA WILSON

WinterDecember 2015

PARKNEWS

TEAMNEWS

EVENTS

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If you were at our AGM in June orread the minutes, you will knowthat at our next AGM (June 2016) Iwill be stepping down aschairperson of FoRP after 6 years.I am delighted that RichardCritchley, a relatively new member,will be taking my place. We havealready been working together sothe transition will be very smoothand Richard will have theadvantage of already having metkey people and knowing aboutvarious FoRP issues by the time Istep down – an advantage I didn'thave when I took the role.

When I became chairperson Iwasn't even a member and knewvery little about FoRP, so it wassomething of a baptism of fire. Atthe time, FoRP had been chairlessfor some time and David Binns,our wonderful secretary, was doingboth jobs. I had just retired and somy neighbour Alan Jackson, whowas then editor of our newsletter(and one of the world’s bestsalesmen, as those of you who

knew him will testify!) somehowmanaged to persuade me, andother people, that I was right forthe role and so it all began. As anaside I should point out that Alanwas also responsible forpersuading our current newslettereditors to take on the role fromhim!

I have really enjoyed my time withFoRP and will miss being soheavily committed but I am of thefirm belief that successfulorganisations thrive on change andbringing in new people with freshideas.

One of the first things I did onbecoming chair was to hold a oneday workshop with key people inFoRP to get an understanding ofthe dynamics of the organisationand the issues involved. Our veryfirst action plan came out of thisand is used to form the agenda foreach of our meetings, to make surewe don't run off track.

The action plan has been revisedeach year (except 2014) with ourlast review, attended by 26 of themost active members of FoRP(including Richard) taking place inOctober. We spent a full day at theMansion thrashing through ideasand as well as revising our actionplan, we came up with a list ofserious/big topics to be raised withpark management, and a list ofthings achieved since the previousaction plan review. Theachievement that particularlystands out for me is that FoRPvolunteers have spent 2,497 hoursin the last 12 months doing handson work in the park (workingparties, Friends Garden, litterpicking etc). And this doesn'tinclude all the many hours ofadministration work involved withFoRP! Well done everyone!

Wishing you a happy and healthyChristmas and New Year.

Julia WilsonChairperson.

Changes ahead for FoRP - Julia has decided to stand down from next summer.

NEWCHAIRPERSONFOR FoRPPLANNED

TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF TROPICAL WORLD

Tropical World will be closed for two weeks for essential maintenancework from February 22nd to March 6th 2016.

Friends of Roundhay ParkPO Box 129,Leeds LS8 1WYnews@forp.orgeditor@forp.orgwww.forp.org

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Following the next FoRPAnnual General Meeting(2016) Julia Wilson will bestepping down after givingsix years of great service toFoRP as our chairperson.We are delighted to be ableto inform members thatRichard Critchley hasagreed to take on the roleof chair following on fromJulia.Richard was born in Bir-mingham but brought up inPudsey. On leaving schoolat eighteen he joined a firmof accountants but was re-leased from articles twoyears later to allow him tojoin the West Yorkshire Po-lice where he served inHuddersfield, Pudsey,Leeds and Bradford. Then,for the second half of hiscareer, Richard was electedas leader of the Police Fed-eration in West Yorkshire,representing all officers ofthe ranks of constable, ser-geant, inspector and chiefinspector. This gave himthe opportunity to developa wide variety of skills andexperiences.Richard retired from thepolice in 2002 and was im-mediately recruited by alarge national insurancebrokers in Liverpool in thecapacity of public relations

consultant, dealing with cli-ents, promoting businessopportunities and influenc-ing advertising initiativesuntil his retirement in2012.Since retiring from the po-lice, Richard has also beenan active member of theNational Association of Re-tired Police Officers as sec-retary of the Wakefieldbranch, chairman of theWest Yorkshire group and,since retiring from paidemployment, he has beenelected a member of theNational Executive Com-mittee.Richard says:“In 2006, I moved back toLeeds from Boston Spa andwas really fortunate to beable to live in ‘the Park’.My interest in the park hasgrown and I recognise thatalthough Leeds has manyjewels in its crown, Round-hay Park is by far the larg-est and most used not onlyby its populace but also byvisitors from further afield.As we all know, we are indifficult times financiallyand budgets for the upkeepof the park have taken aknock. It is very much tothe credit of the park staffthat they still manage theupkeep of one of the largest

municipal parks in Europeto such a high standardwith ever fewer numbers.But it is also extremely for-tunate that ‘The Friends ofRoundhay Park’ exists andthat it has so many activevolunteers who regularlygive of their time not onlyto help maintain but also todevelop many of the park’sassets.It is a great honour andresponsibility to have beenelected as the next chair ofFoRP and I do not underes-timate the challenge of try-ing to maintain the highstandards set by Julia Wil-son who has led the‘Friends’ with fortitude forthe last six years. I relish the challenge and,with the help of the excel-lent members of the com-mittee, I hope to bringwhat skills and attributes Imight still retain in orderto develop and expandmembership, reaching outespecially to younger po-tential members, to makesure that FoRP will contin-ue and flourish, ensuringthat ‘the Park’, in all itsglory, is retained andmaintained for currentand future generations”.

INTRODUCING OURNEXT CHAIRPERSON–RICHARD CRITCHLEY

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Many FoRP members takeregular walks aroundWaterloo Lake and the UpperLake, and so do manythousands of other visitors toRoundhay Park. The pathsaround the lakes, however,are in a sorry state, especiallyaround Waterloo Lake.During the winter monthssignificant stretches turn to asea of mud and unavoidablepuddles, and it is gettingworse with each passing year.It is not a good advert for ourpark, and it is depressing tosee people trying to negotiatethe paths with buggies orprams, or wearing theirbrand new white trainers.Patchwork repairs have beencarried out from time to time,but the time has surely cometo look for a comprehensive,lasting improvement.

FoRP is indebted once againto Jon Vogler, who hascarried out a detailed surveyof the path around WaterlooLake, drawing in expertadvice. The resulting reportestimates a cost of almost£200K to produce a durablepath all the way round thelake. This seems a dauntingamount of money, but theFoRP committee is

developing aproposal totackle theproblem. Withso many peopleenjoying thewalk around thelake, how manymight like toleave apermanent‘footprint’ in theform of adonation whichwould buy a stone carryingtheir name – a way of sayingthank you for all the hoursof pleasure the park hasprovided? The committeeis still discussing this idea,possibly beginning with atrial stretch of path (50 or100 metres?) to see if theidea attracts enoughdonors.

What do FoRP membersthink of this idea? Pleaselet us know. If you hadyour own stone, would youtell all your friends? Wouldeveryone want one? Howmuch would you pay?Keep watch on the FoRPwebsite www.forp.org andin future newsletters forfurther information.

LAKESIDE PATHS – LEAVEYOUR OWN FOOTPRINT?

Our calendar is an important source of income forus and helps to support the work we carry out in thepark. The beautiful 2016 calendar is still availablefor you to buy either online at www.forp.org orthrough one of our high street retailers. These in-clude City Stationers, With Love (Oakwood Pa-rade), Lakeside Cafe, Headrow Galleries (HarrogateRd Alwoodley), Dine at the Mansion, PhilipHoward bookshop (Street Lane), Tropical Worldshop.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVEBOUGHT A CALENDAR

The editors take their regularwalk round Waterloo Lake,Stout footwear needed!

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BIRDS ON THE LAKES - GOOSANDERWe have featured most of the residentbirds on the lakes of Roundhay park inprevious newsletters, but we are alwayson the lookout for less frequentsightings. On the 1st of December theeditors were walking across the dam atthe end of Waterloo Lake, and sawthree goosanders – two males and onefemale (or immature?) on the lake.These handsome birds are diving ducksbelonging to the group known as‘sawbills’, due to their distinctivenarrow saw-edged bills. The maleshave a very dark green head and upperneck (looks black from a distance) ,with a conspicuous white breast andflanks. Females have a chestnutcoloured head and neck and more greyon the flanks. Perhaps other membershave seen these birds?

ON THE TREE TRAIL -THE GRAND FIR OR GIANT FIR (ABIES GRANDIS)

Our thanks go to Cecily Jarvis for this regular feature – a seasonal offering, though we wouldneed a lot of Christmas lights to decorate this giant!

This great tree is a member of a bigfamily known as Silver Firs. It is nativeto North America from British Colom-bia to California, enjoying the mild,moist conditions of the Pacific coastalareas. Where it is allowed to grow on,it can reach up to 62m (200ft) inheight. Introduced to the UK in 1832,the Grand Fir finds growing conditionsideal here and it is one of our fastestgrowing firs.The specimen in Roundhay Park, oneof a group of conifers near The Man-sion, is estimated to be around 20mhigh (65ft) so it still has some way togo!The needles of this tree are arranged inflat, paired rows and have distinctivewhite bands on the underside. Whencrushed they give off a lovely spicyscent.Grand Firs are one of the varieties soldas Christmas trees, most commonly inthe USA.

Male GoosanderIllustration from RSPB

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The Carriage House is a familiarsight for visitors to RoundhayPark. This historic Grade IIlisted building has stood emptyfor many years forming part ofthe landscape of the park, butgradually deteriorating throughlack of maintenance, with its fineclock (made by Potts, as was theOakwood Clock) in its tower,with its faces worn away and itshands missing. The CarriageHouse, along with the rest ofRoundhay Park was given to thepeople of Leeds by John Barranin the late 19th century. Thebuilding was later bought byLeeds City Council who are thecurrent owners of the CarriageHouse.

FoRP members will have noticedthat for some time the CarriageHouse has been up for sale.FoRP, and many people in thelocal community have a stronginterest in the future of theCarriage House, and in securingand restoring the fabric of thisfine building. Indeed, apartnership of local groupsincluding FoRP submitted aproposal to the council foracquiring the Carriage Houseunder the Asset Transfer Schemeand developing it for communityuse. However, this proposal didnot find favour with the council.It has proved very difficult to findinformation from the councilabout the progress of the sale orthe nature of any commercialinterest that has been expressed.We are not aware of anyconsultation with the local

community or residents. There isnatural concern about the futureof the Carriage House. Whowould buy it? What would it beused for? And will it be properlyrestored and maintained?

Recently word spread on thegrapevine that the CarriageHouse had been sold to an estateagent, prompting a number oflocal residents, including someFoRP members to write to thecouncil expressing seriousconcerns about the prospect ofthe Carriage House being ownedby an estate agent, and the waythe whole process had beenhandled. These messagesprompted a reply from CouncillorLewis including the following:

“......It is not realistic for thecouncil to invest the significantsums needed to refurbish thebuilding, and we have no plansto use it ourselves.

I’m aware of the idea from theconsortium of communityorganisations for communityasset transfer of the CarriageHouse. Unfortunately, thisproposal was reliant on securingsignificant sums of unidentifiedcapital funding and would haverequired challenging levels ofongoing revenue generation tobe realised. Officers haveconsidered that proposal with itspotential benefits and risks,against the offers received inresponse to our marketingexercise and decided that therisks were too significant in the

face of a good financial offerfrom an organisation withaccess to the funding necessaryto bring the building back intouse. The income generated fromthe proposal will be used for thegood of the people of Leeds andnot commercial profit..........

Although for reasons ofconfidentiality I am unable togive too much detail about theidentity of the purchaser, theintention is for the building to beused as offices for theheadquarters of a localcompany, not as an estateagent’s retail premises”

It is clear that the council hasdecided their course of action,but there are many unansweredquestions for FoRP and the localcommunity. What sort of deal isbeing done? Why would anycommercial organisation want totake on premises requiringrefurbishment at an estimatedcost in the region of £800K?And, if the income generated is tobe used “for the good of thepeople of Leeds”, how much ofthis will we see invested back intoRoundhay Park? No doubt, wewill gradually learn more and willreturn to this in futurenewsletters, but in the meantimeif members want to comment orkeep more closely in touch withevents a Facebook page has beenset up. This can most easily befound if you go into Facebookand simply enter “Save theCarriage House” in the searchbar.

THE CARRIAGE HOUSE – AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE?

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POSTCARD FROM THE PARK

While the CarriageHouse is in our thoughts,we are grateful toJonathan Brown forsearching through hiswonderful collection ofpostcards and coming upwith this one, showingthe Carriage House,postmarked 1954. Theclock face and hands areclearly visible. It is apeaceful scene, andcarries greetings fromDorothy to a Mrs JuneBryant who is in EastGlamorgan Hospital,near Pontypridd.Dorothy says “Having anice time here. So far theweather hasn’t been toobad. I’ve managed to goout every day. YesterdayJohn and I went toBlackpool for the day. Iexpect to go to Yorktomorrow. LoveDorothy”We hope June was soondischarged from hospitaland made a full recovery.

CALLING ALL YOU SOCIAL NETWORKERS........

DO YOU TWEET?Our (relatively) new website is proving effective in raising the profile  of FoRP and recruiting newmembers.  However we are not making use of the links to other social media that are available on thesite. Although Julia Wilson and Malcolm Jarvis are doing an excellent job with Facebook, nobody isusing our Twitter and Google Plus links.  So if you are a keen tweeter we would love you to tweet forFoRP. For more information contact our webmaster at john.ferguson@forp.org

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Another bonfire night hasdisappeared into the recent pastand the spectacular fireworkdisplay has once again quicklyfaded away from the visualmemory. I came across anewspaper account recently of a‘pyrotechnic display’ in the parkthat took place almost a centuryand a half ago and I thought thatreaders of this newsletter mightenjoy some of the details. It wascertainly different from what isstaged these days in November andit had the advantage of occurringmuch earlier in the year in goodweather. The event had the luxuryof a fortnight’s postponement dueto bad weather, - not possible onbonfire night!

Here is the newspaper accountalmost in full and unedited.

“On Saturday there was a greatconcourse of holidaymakers atRoundhay Park, the specialattraction being the display offireworks by Mr. Pain of London …the beautiful weather had temptedmany to wile away a half-holiday instrolling about the shady paths, inboating on the lake or in lounging

beneath the trees. On thegreensward a band was playing,and dancing was here indulged inby many others. In another part ofthe grounds might be seen a crowdintently watching the acrobaticfeats of members of a troupe fromMr. R. Fossett’s circus. Thus thehours passed.

At length a loud report directed alleyes to the upper lake, one side ofwhich had been illuminated with adouble tied of Chinese lanterns.The effect of these was greatlyenhanced by the reflections in thewater. Presently the scene wasfurther lit up with fires of variouscolours, and a large balloon wasseen slowly ascending, carrying apowerful magnesium light. Flightsof rockets diffusing stars of variedhues and showers of golden rainfollowed.

There came a beautiful devicerepresenting the Falls of Niagara,and the roar produced, as whenwhat appeared to be liquid firedescended, was very realistic. Greatdiversion was caused by theportrayal in fire of the elephant“Jumbo.” The limbs of the animal

were made to move in a lifelikemanner, amid shouts of laughterfrom the spectators.

Representation of a prairie fire andthe Aurora Borealis followed, andthen the event of the evening wasreached, namely, a representationof the bombardment of Alexandria.The English ships, presented invarious coloured fires, poured forthshowers of shells which explodedwith deafening detonation. Froman opposite corner the “guns”replied, the whole forming abrilliant and striking spectacle. The“bombardment” was brought to aconclusion with a tremendous salutde joie representing the blowing upof the Egyptian forts. The displaywas a great success and gave muchpleasure to the vast gathering ofspectators.”

(From the editor – Whatwonderful description! Any FoRPmembers who are Beatles fansmay be reminded of SergeantPepper – Being for the Benefit ofMr Kite - and John Lennon’swords taken from an oldposter....…”And a splendid time isguaranteed for all!”)

A ’PYROTECHNIC DISPLAY’ AT ROUNDHAY PARK(After a few words from Neville Hurworth the text is mainly from the Leeds Mercury 9 April 1883).

The editors are always grateful to Neville Hurworth who regularly provides fascinating historical storiesbased in the park. In this issue, Neville shares two newspaper articles from the late 19th century. Thanksagain, Neville!

THE SPIRIT OF THE WOODSFoRP members will be very familiar with the charming little statue which today stands in the middle of thecanal in Canal Gardens. This is the ‘Spirit of the Woods’ and it was previously located on dry land inRoundhay Park. Some members may have personal memories of this statue and our thanks go to WendyBurrows for this special photograph (opposite). Wendy says:

“We were looking for some information about the 'spirit of the woods' at Roundhay Park and came across anarticle dated 10th August 2011 which said Friends of Roundhay Park were looking for photos of the statuefrom when it was in the park.  I know it's a few years ago now but thought I would send this photo in of mymum with the statue which was taken in 1962.”

Perhaps other readers have memories of the Spirit of the Woods? We wonder where exactly it stood in thepark? When and why was it relocated to its current watery surroundings? Is it true that it was moved becausesome mischievous human spirits kept pinching his/her flute? We would love to know more......

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This account is from theLeeds Mercury 4 August1896 on the occasion of theHospital Gala.

“The chief attraction of theday, however, was theengagement of the celebratedhigh-rope walker, ChevalierBlondin, the hero of Niagara,who gave two exhibitions ofhis daring skill on a tightrope stretched at a greataltitude over the Upper Lake.

First he crossed the lake inthe full panoply of anarmour-clad Chevalier,running back in wonderfullysprightly fashion for aveteran of 72 years. Then hecrossed again in ordinarytights and before returning,blindfolded himself with avoluminous handkerchiefthat precluded the possibilityof vision, after which to makeassurance doubly sure thathe could not see, heenveloped himself in a sack.

Ere re-crossing in thisdarkened guise, he kept thegreat crowd beneath him in acontinuous ripple of laughterat his amusing by-play, whilenow and again he excited thekeenest apprehension,marked by frequentinvoluntary exclamationsamong the spectators bypretended slips on the ropeas he started his blindfoldbackward journey.

His performance wasconcluded by leisurelycooking an omelette on anapparatus he conveyed forthe purpose to the centre ofthe rope, and throughout itscontinuance his every motionwas closely watched withinterest.

In the evening the Chevaliergave a repetition of his feats,the effect of the secondoccasion being heightened bysome of them taking placeamid a display of fireworks”.

Neville has found this remarkable report of a show put on by the legendary tight-rope walker Charles(Chevalier) Blondin in Roundhay Park. Blondin came out of retirement in the 1880s leading up to thisappearance in the park – only just in time, as he died in 1897.

BLONDIN IN ROUNDHAY PARK

'BACK IN TIME' - THE OAKWOODCLOCK RESTORATION

FILM

Published on You Tube on Nov 2, 2015This film can be found on You Tube and is now in atime capsule buried beneath Oakwood Clock in Leedsalong with other items relating to the restoration. The

capsule is to be opened in theyear 2112. Produced by OakwoodTraders and ResidentsAssociation and made by TonyO'Reilly, it will be shown at theFoRP lecture on Tuesday 19th

January 2016 (see back page).

We don’t have a picture of him in Roundhay Parkbut here is Blondin in action carrying his manager.

From Wikipedia

Spirit of theWoods

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CREATING A SUCCESSFUL WILDFLOWER MEADOWA message from Cecily Jarvis

Jackson’s Field Flower Meadow

Many of you will have seen the“wildflower meadow” nearBarran’s Fountain which in thefirst year after sowing was a riotof colour. With a mixture ofannuals and perennials, includingwildflowers, flowering lasted formonths.Summer 2015 however has beendisappointing with certainperennials taking over wheregrowing conditions favour themand many annuals, failing toflourish or appear at all. Therehas been a significant invasion bygrasses and perennial weeds. Sowhat to do?Estates Manager, John Roebuckorganised a meeting withrepresentatives of Rigby TaylorLimited, the seed supplierstogether with members of FoRPand as a result of our discussionand a visit to the meadow, a planof action has been devised.Briefly, it has been decided to gofor an annual urban meadow

flower mix which will give longlasting colour. Many of you willhave seen this type of planting bythe Council along the city’s ringroads. This kind of meadowhowever calls for cultivationevery year which on an area thesize of the one we have, is asignificant project.The plan is that John Roebuckand his team will spray the area tokill all current growth and willrotavate the ground. FoRP willthen take over, cultivating the soilto the required depth and workingit down to a suitable tilth for seedsowing. It is likely this work willnow take place in spring afterwhich the new annual seed mixwill be sown, probably in Apriland it is likely interim weedingwill be needed as well.Because our existing workingparty volunteers are fullycommitted with their work in thepark we are looking for specific“Meadow Group” volunteers. An

e-mail appeal in October hasattracted over a dozen interestedmembers but there is alwaysroom for more. You don’t need tobe an experienced gardener,although that would be good too,you just need to be enthusiasticand willing to put in a fewSaturday mornings over the yearto create and maintain themeadow. It need not be a regularmonthly commitment and there isno requirement to undertakeheavy work. In fact a lighter handfor making a seed bed would bean advantage.With the park management’sblessing and help we have theopportunity to make a stunningfeature which can be enjoyed bythe park’s many visitors and be asource of pride to those of us whomade it happen.If you are interested, pleasecontact Cecily Jarvis atcecilyandmalc@talktalk.net

GLOBAL WARMING? CONFUSED ABOUT THE SEASONS?

We wonder how many FoRP members, like the editors, noticed apatch of purple crocuses flowering in October near the children’splayground by the Lakeside Café? Our thanks go to HilaryBrosh for sending in this photo.

September 2014 Cecily Jarvis October 2014 Bpb Reid April 2015 Tom Cooper

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The members of FoRP workingparties know from experience thatautumn is bulb planting time and2015 has proved no exception.However this year we only tookdelivery of 5,000 bulbs, ratherthan the 10,000 of previous years.It was hoped that by taking moretime, and choosing sites withdeeper soil we would get betterflowering next year. Good resultswill be more important than ever,as our chosen planting site isextremely high profile - themargins of our beautiful newtennis courts.

Two working parties have beendevoted to this task already, andwe have a party of volunteers fromthe Lloyds Banking Group bookedto spend a day planting. Inprevious years it has beendaffodils, daffodils and yet moredaffodils, but this year we have hada change. Don't worry, plenty ofdaffodils have been planted.However, among the trees by the

bus-stop, you should be able to seebluebells next spring, although itwill be a while before they providea show to match the one put on bythe bluebells at the back of thepark every year.

We planted a third type of bulb in avery prominent position, but I willleave its identity a mystery fornow. Don't worry, if the plantingproves successful, you will not beable to miss our work early nextspring.

Talking of next spring reminds meof another flowering project thatneeds FoRP's attention. After thedisappointment of this year'sshow, we plan to set up a groupspecifically to improve the displayin the wild flower meadow near theLakeside Cafe. If you areinterested, see the article by Cecilyfor details.

Despite all this bulb plantingfrenzy, we have not neglected our

usual weeding and clearing. Youshould notice that the zig-zag pathinto the ravine is much wider, nowthat we have trimmed the marginsright back to the original pathedges. Over the winter we willextend this work right up the ShamCastle. We also hope to remove themud that has built up over the pathhard surface. It should makewalking this route less of adaunting experience.

If you would like to join in any ofour working parties, e-mail JonVogler who organises them, atjon@vogler.co.uk. He will add youto the working party e-mail list andhe will e-mail you before eachsession to tell you what is planned(We meet 2nd Sat & 4th Thurs ofeach month). We usually assembleat the Carriage House behind theRoundhay Fox ). There is no longterm commitment and we wouldlove to see you.

Tom Cooper

AN AUTUMN PARTY IN THE PARK

The editors thank Tom Cooper for providing this update on the sterling work done by the working partyvolunteers, enhancing the beauty of our park. More volunteers are always welcome!

We digWe plantWe coverWe leave no traceBLUEBELLS!

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Space needed forAddress labels

Forthcoming FoRP lectures

Tuesday 19 January 2016 – ‘Back in Time’ – a film showing the story of the restoration ofthe Oakwood Clock, with commentary from camera man and producer Tony O’Reilly.

Tuesday 15 March 2016 - Trams to Roundhay. Jamie Guest will present a talk on tramsto Roundhay. Jamie is a regular speaker on behalf of the Leeds Transport Historical Society andis putting this talk together especially for the Friends of Roundhay Park.

Both these events start at 7pm in the Education Rooms next to the Mansion. Entrance is £3 forFoRP members and £5 for non-members.