Park BenchNews from around the London ParksHaile Selassie Remembered in WimbledonLAST autumn a bust of the last Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie (1896-1975) was unveiled in the surprising setting of the Old Tennis Court in LB Merton's Cannizaro Park next to Wimbledon Common.
Nancy-Joan Seligman, wife of Hilda's son, Madron, approached the Friends of Cannizaro Park in 2004 to restore the statue. The £1000 restoration, by Hudsons, was financed by Merton Council and the statue was unveiled by Merton's mayor, Councillor Judy Saunders. Those present included
You can see more pictures at http://rastaites.com/HIM/CannizaroPark.htm Bushy, Chiswick Win Major GrantsTHE New Year brought the announcement of major grants for two important historic gardens in London - Bushy Park and Chiswick House Gardens. At Bushy Park, the "Sleeping Beauty" of the Royal Parks, the Heritage Lottery Fund has announced it will commit £4.5m. This will enable The Royal Parks to carry out 87 scheduled tasks as part of the Bushy Park Restoration Project. Highlights of the proposed restoration include the seventeenth century Arethusa (Diana) Fountain, the Woodland Gardens, the Brewhouse and the Upper Lodge Water Gardens. There will be a new Visitor Centre at Broom Clumps. Sarah Lom, Director of the Royal Parks Foundation, said: "This is wonderful news. We still have £600,000 to raise to achieve what we want but the HLF award, together with other generous gifts, brings us ever closer to that goal." Also in January the HI-F announced that it had earmarked £7.9m as part of a £12.1 m bid to restore the iconic early eighteenth landscape at Chiswick House in west London. Vandals Torch Bowling PavilionTRUST members who visited Peckham Rye Park last autumn will recall the splendid new bowling pavilion (with fireproof roof). Since its restoration last year, local louts have repeatedly attacked the park and sadly on 20th January vandals succeeded in burning down the pavilion. Capital Gardens Wins BALI Design Award
Capital Gardens won the award with a garden in Islington, designed to be an entertaining space for adults and children alike. Alex Haskey, Landscape Manager at Capital Gardens Landscapes, and designer of the winning garden, received the award from TV gardening personality Chris Beardshaw. Historic Dams at Kenwood to be ConservedTWO historic dams in the grounds of the Kenwood House Estate are undergoing essential conservation work to improve their safety. The 'Thousand Pound' dam and the 'Wood Pond' dam were constructed in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and stand at the head of a series of ponds that stretch down across Hampstead Heath towards Parliament Fields. Expert hydrologists have developed a sustainable solution to protect the dams, that will have minimal impact on either the character of the historic landscape or the ecology. This scheme, which has been agreed with English Nature and the Kenwood Landscape Forum, will allow mature trees to be retained whilst creating a new timber-clad piled dam face carefully hidden behind water plants Clapham Common ConsultationTHE LB LAMBETH has been consulting the public on plans for the improvement of Clapham Common, where the bandstand is currently being renovated. A nature conservation area, better sports facilities and a barbeque area were among proposals on display at a recent public consultation on the future of he common. HLF Launches 'Parks for People' Grants Scheme
This is the first joint programme from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund and builds on the £400m of grant support the HLF has made over the last 10 years towards the regeneration of public parks, gardens, squares and promenades. £90m will be available, in grants of between £250,000 and £5m, for projects involving green spaces designed for informal recreation and enjoyment, usually owned by a local authority. For more information, visit the HLF web site at www.hlf.org.uk . Alpine House Opens At KewKEW Gardens' new Davies Alpine House opened in March, adding a dramatic new feature to the skyline in the gardens. The glasshouse is over 10m tall, made of 210 glass panels and, from the outside, resembles a bisected, upended, giant vertical wheel. Inside, the computer-controlled environment enables the staff to vary the internal level of heat, humidity and light for over 300 Alpine plants. This is the first glasshouse built in Kew for over 20 years. Also in the news at Kew is the Pagoda. At Easter, following restoration work, visitors will be able to climb to the top of the Pagoda for the first time in many years. The red, grey and gold tower, which stands nearly 50m tall, has been an integral part of Kew's landscape since 1762. On a clear day you can see famous London landmarks, including the London Eye, the Gherkin and Wembley Stadium. There will be an additional charge for entry to the Pagoda. Lambeth ExhibitionTHE Museum of Garden History, which is housed in the restored church of St.Mary-at-Lambeth, next to Lambeth Palace, has been awarded an HLF grant of £40,000 for a permanent exhibition of the history of Lambeth. The exhibition opens to the public on 31st March 2006. YOI Seed Nursery Takes RootLB HOUNSLOW service provider CIP ("Community Initiative Partnership") has joined forces with Feltham Young Offenders Institution to establish a seeds nursery in the grounds of the prison. A planting programme of locally sourced seeds and cuttings from native plants began in February. Supported by EU-Life funding, Feltham YOI has provided greenhouse space to allow seeds, hardwood cuttings and root cuttings of various plants to be propagated. Offenders involved in the project - to be known as Feltharn Native Seeds Nursery - will be caring for the plants as part of work towards horticultural qualifications. Once established, the plants will be used in parks throughout the borough. We Need Friends, says LB LambethWE need all the Friends we can get, says the London Borough of Lambeth. It's not that Lambeth politicians are feeling especially unloved, it's just that the Council recognises the rôle played by Friends groups in the upkeep and enjoyment of its parks. Lambeth says that Friends groups can be organisers of a host of activities such as fun days, Easter egg hunts, community plantings and sports days and can also play an important rôle in consultation and the development an implementation of parks' management plans. One might add that Friends groups also act as watchdogs, fundraisers and volunteer maintenance crews. LB Lambeth has taken the initiative in recognising the work done by Friends groups for its parks, and has listed all known groups within the 'Parks and Green Spaces' section of its official website. It is also encouraging the formation of groups where none exist. For the list of Friends groups in Lambeth, please click here. "Bring Back Parkies" Say Haringey ResidentsA campaign to bring park-keepers back into Haringey was launched in January, following increased fears of violence and neglect.
The council review will be carried out over the next year but campaigners say action should be taken sooner. Dave Morris of the HFRA, said: "Now is the time to bring back dedicated staff to our local parks." Park PeopleSir Peter Crane, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is stepping down this year after seven years in the rôle to return to academic life at the University of Chicago. Chiswick House Gardens are looking for a Head Gardener to work on the restoration of the historic landscape. If you are interested please contact the Project Director Martin Clayton (click to email). Kath Green is the new Ranger Supervisor at Marble Hill Park in Twickenham. The environmental studies graduate Kath Green has previously worked at Black Park in Buckinghamshire and on Sussex Heathland. Mike Fitt, former Director of Royal Parks, who won
Horticulture Week's 'Most outstanding contribution to horticulture' award
in 2005, has recently been named an Urban Wildlife Champion by English
Nature. |
Trust News from Chair BARBARA SIMMSSignificant Strides ForwardSince the last issue of London Landscapes, there have been two particularly exciting pieces of news, both of which will enable the Trust to take significant strides forward in its activities. Bridge House Trust Sponsors London Parks Discovery Project
The project runs from March 2006 and will be co-ordinated by Deborah Jarman, the driving force behind the implementation of the pilot phase. Educational consultants will be working with schools in the four boroughs, the aim being to increase the number of participating schools by 50% over the three-year period. Loire Valley Wines Sponsor Open Garden Squares Weekend
Volunteer PostsOver the last few months, the Trust has been actively seeking volunteers to fill a number of key posts. These include
I am delighted that the Treasurer's post has now been filled and welcome Ross Holland, who will take over as Treasurer when Alastair stands down at the AGM in May. Lyn Jacobs is also a welcome addition to the OGSW team: she will be helping with event material, such as the booklet and posters, where her background in publishing will be particularly valuable. If you would like to volunteer for any of the other posts then please email me on chair@londongardenstrust.org or phone 020-7388 0166. Second Vice-PresidentFinally, a third piece of good news. lan Kennaway has become the Trust's second Vice-President, joining Todd Longstaffe-Gowan in this rôle. Since standing down as Vice-Chairman and Organiser of Open Garden Squares Weekend, lan has continued to work for the Trust, particularly in securing new sites for as part of the development of OGSW. As a Vice-President of the Trust he will not only continue to be involved in the OGSW project, but will also formally represent the Trust at events and generally promote its objectives and activities. I look forward to continuing the enjoyable working relationship I have had with Ian in the past. The Thames Gateway:
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The
statue was sculpted in Wimbledon 69 years ago by Hilda Seligman, when the
emperor was staying with the Seligman family at Lincoln House in Parkside
in 1936, during his enforced exile after the Italian invasion of
Abyssinia.
CAPITAL
Gardens, sponsor of Open Garden Squares Weekend, was announced in December
as the winner of the Domestic Gardens category of the British Association
of Landscape Industries (BALI) National Awards.
PARKS
for People, the new initiative to restore historic parks and gardens, was
announced recently, successor to the Public Parks Initiative which
finishes in March 2006.
Haringey
Friends of Parks and Haringey Federation of Residents' Associations (HFRA)
are pressing Haringey Council, which is currently reviewing its resources
and park supervision, to employ full-time workers to improve maintenance
and safety of the borough's parks. Haringey currently employs a parks
constabulary and staff but has no keepers assigned to particular parks.
The residents hope the pressure will convince Haringey Council to employ
full-time workers.
Firstly,
the Trust has gained sponsorship of £30,000 over a three-year period from
the Bridge House Trust to fund the next stage of the 
Secondly,
Wendy Neville (Media and Sponsorship Consultant) was able to announce
recently that 