Roundhay Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roundhay Park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is one of the biggest inner-city parks in Europe. It has over 700 acres (2.8 km²) of parkland, lakes, woodland and gardens which are owned by Leeds City Council. The park is one of the most popular attractions in Leeds, nearly a million people visit each year. It is situated on the north-east edge of the city, bordered by the suberb of Roundhay to the west and Oakwood to the south.
[edit] History of Roundhay Park
Originally, Roundhay Park was a hunting park for the De Lacy family during the 13th Century. William the Conqueror granted the estate to Ilbert De Lacy for his loyalty to the king. The estate was purchased by Thomas Nicholson in 1803. In 1811 John Clarke began to design the mansion, which took a total of 15 years to build. In 1870, the estate was purchased by John Barran, and eventually purchased by the council from Barran, and given to the people of Leeds as a Park. At the time Roundhay was over 3 miles away from Leeds and the council was unable to purchase such a large tract of land without an Act of Parliament, which was obtained. Other parts of the Park were sold as building plots which helped to reimburse the council and Barran for their outlay.Prince Arthur officially re-opened the park as a public estate in 1872 in front of 100,000 people.
[edit] In and Around Roundhay Park
The following can be found around Roundhay Park:
- Tropical World - A popular museum looking at different climates from around the world.
- Canal Gardens - Known for its attractive flowers.
- Waterloo Lake - named after soldiers who had returned from the Napoleonic wars.
- Upper Lake - the smaller of the two lakes, featuring impressive fountains.
- Cricket Pitch - This was the location of concerts by the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Simple Minds, Madonna, Genesis, Robbie Williams and U2, famously in 1997 with Cast as support. The park is sited in a natural amphitheatre and overlooked by Hill 60.
- Soldiers Field - Huge playing fields next to the park which have hosted many large-scale annual events such as Leeds Mela, and the Love Parade.
- Aviation pioneer Robert Blackburn also conducted test flights of his aircraft and later established a small airport here.
- In January 2007 the Lakeside cafe burned down.
- In June 2005, two teenagers drowned in Roundhay Park Lake.
- In January 2007, The Lakeside Café was extensively damaged by fire.
- Each bonfire night A firework display is held at Roundhay park with people gathering there from all around Leeds to stand by the fire and watch.
[edit] External links
- Roundhay park on leeds.gov.uk
- Roundhay Park Leeds The Roundhay Park website includes maps and virtual tours of the Park, Canal Gardens and Tropical World.
