Clissold Park
Encyclopedia
Clissold Park is a 22 hectares (54.4 acre) community park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...

 in Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...

 within the London Borough of Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....

. Facilities include a children's playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...

, sports fields, a bowling green
Bowling green
A bowling green is a finely-laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of lawn for playing the game of lawn bowls.Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on them...

, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

 courts, a cafe and some animal attractions including terrapin
Terrapin
A terrapin is a turtle living in fresh or brackish water.Terrapin may also refer to:* Terrapin , a transport vehicle used for amphibious assault by the Allies during the Second World War...

s in its lakes. The park also hosts remains of the New River
New River (England)
The New River is an artificial waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from the River Lea and from Amwell Springs , and other springs and wells along its course....

.

The Capital Ring
Capital Ring
The Capital Ring is a strategic walking route that is being promoted by London's 33 local councils, led by the City of London Corporation in partnership with the Greater London Authority and its functional body for regional transport, Transport for London, through which much of the funding is...

 has some of its paths running through a small section of the park.

History

Clissold House, the park’s Grade II-listed building, was built for Jonathan Hoare, a Quaker merchant and anti-slavery campaigner, in the 1790s. (His brother Samuel Hoare Jr
Samuel Hoare Jr
Samuel Hoare Jr was a wealthy British Quaker merchant and abolitionist born in Stoke Newington, the north of London. He was one of the twelve founding members of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade.-Background:...

 was one of the founders of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade
Society for effecting the abolition of the slave trade
The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, , was a British abolitionist group, formed on 22 May 1787, when twelve men gathered together at a printing shop in London, England.-Origins:...

.) The park was his front lawn, and the stretch of water that winds around the house was once part of the New River, a canal that supplied London with clean water from Hertfordshire.

The estate eventually fell to Reverend Clissold; when he died in 1882, developers closed in, but activists John Runtz and Joseph Beck convinced the authorities to open it as a public space in 1889. A fountain was erected in 1890 commemorating these heroes; later, the park’s two wildlife ponds were named after them too.

Restoration

Clissold House, the former mansion within the park, is a Grade II* listed building; and is currently used as refreshment rooms. In 2007, Clissold Park was voted the Heart of Hackney, in an I Love Hackney poll organised by Hackney Council. On March 30, 2007 the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...

 announced the award of a development grant to put forward a bid for a full £4.5 million park restoration grant. The work will restore the park and house to its original 19th century design.

Work on the Clissold Park and House Restoration project commenced in January 2010, and over the next 2 years an estimated £8.9 million pounds is to be spent upgrading the historic Clissold Mansion and surrounding park. Funding was received from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...

, the Big Lottery Fund
Big Lottery Fund
The Big Lottery Fund is a grant-making non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom created by the Government to administer the funding of "good causes" following the creation of the National Lottery. It has an annual expenditure of £630 million...

, and Hackney Council.

Plans for the park include:

Restoring the Grade II listed Clissold House

Restoring a section of the New River (England)
New River (England)
The New River is an artificial waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from the River Lea and from Amwell Springs , and other springs and wells along its course....



Extensive maintenance to the two park lakes

Renovating the current animal enclosures

Creating a new play and wheels park area

Key Phases

Contractor site setup Jan 2010
Setting up of site compounds and hoarding; protection of trees in work areas; and construction of haul routes. New temporary contractor site access from Church St.

Lakes and Northern Boundary Feb – May 2010
Draining, wildlife relocation, de-silting of lakes, repair of lake edges and new planting.

Closure of redgra sport pitch Feb 2010 – Feb 2011
Construction of drainage and barriers to contain silt from lakes which will be used for landscaping.


Animal Enclosures Feb – July 2010
Construction of new aviary, butterfly dome, pathways and animal shelters.


Bowling green and pavilion Feb – June 2010
Refurbishment of bowling pavilion including new public toilets and landscaping of surrounding areas.

New River (England)
New River (England)
The New River is an artificial waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from the River Lea and from Amwell Springs , and other springs and wells along its course....

 and Central Lawns May – Nov 2010
Draining, de-silting, excavation New River extension and construction of new bridge and pond dipping platform. Installation of new pumping and water circulation equipment.

Sport and Play Sept 2010 – Feb 2011
Construction of new Multi-use Games Area and Wheels Park; landscaping and extension of play area.

Park-wide work Feb 2010 – Jan 2011
Other site-wide works including repairs to foot paths, restoration of the old pump house, tree works and landscaping.

A full timetable of works, and current progress may be found on the Hackney Council http://www.hackney.gov.uk/clissold-restoration-project.htm website.

Clissold Park received a Green Flag award
Green Flag award
The Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom. The scheme was set up in 1996 to recognise and reward green spaces in England and Wales that met the laid down high standards...

 in July 2008.

Transport

There are no nearby London Underground stations, but within one mile are Manor House
Manor House tube station
Manor House tube station is a station on the Piccadilly line of the London Underground, on the boundary between Travelcard Zone 2 and Zone 3. It straddles the border between the London Boroughs of Hackney and Haringey, the postal address and three of the entrances being in the former, and one...

, Finsbury Park and Arsenal
Arsenal tube station
Arsenal tube station is a London Underground station located in Highbury, London. It is on the Piccadilly Line, in Travelcard Zone 2, between Holloway Road and Finsbury Park. Originally known as Gillespie Road, it was renamed in 1932 after Arsenal Football Club, who at the time played at the nearby...

.

The nearest railway stations are Canonbury
Canonbury railway station
Canonbury railway station serves the district of Canonbury within the London Borough of Islington in north London. It is on London Overground's North London Line and East London Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by London Overground, and the station is in Travelcard Zone 2...

 and Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington railway station
Stoke Newington railway station links Stoke Newington to Liverpool Street in central London, and to Cheshunt and Enfield Town further north. Trains generally run every fifteen minutes....

.

In popular culture

The park, and its pond, feature in the Hank Wangford
Hank Wangford
Hank Wangford is a distinguished English country and western songwriter. Hank Wangford is the stage name of Dr. Samuel Hutt, . His music is notable for its humour and cheerful irony, and occasional excursions into biting political undercurrent....

 song, 'Jogging with Jesus'.

The album Ham by London band the Chap
The Chap (band)
The Chap are an experimental pop band from North London. Their music is a mix of rock and pop.-Band members:*Keith Duncan - drums, vocals, keyboards*Panos Ghikas - bass, vocals, guitar, violin, computer, keyboards...

features a song with the title 'Clissold Park'.

The London based 'Astrophonica' record label features a song by label owners Fracture & Neptune, titled "Clissold" named after the park.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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