Roundwood Park
Encyclopedia
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, measuring a total of 26.5 arces, or approximately 10.27 hectares. It was originally known in the 19th century as Knowles Hill (its name coming from the Knowles Tower nearby), or Hunger Hill Common Field, and after much work by Oliver Claude Robson, became the Roundwood Park known to the public today (its name coming from the Roundwood House originally beside it).
Origins
In 1892, George FurnessGeorge Furness
George Furness was a Victorian construction engineer and benefactor. He described himself as a "contractor of public works". He worked all around the world, on railways, drainage, and brickwork among numerous other things.-Birth:Furness was born in Great Longstone, Derbyshire...
, at that time the owner of Roundwood House, sold Knowles Hill to the Willesden Local Board
Local board of health
Local Boards or Local Boards of Health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate slaughterhouses and ensure the proper supply of water to their...
for a bargain price of £14,500. At that time, the field only contained a small hillock and a few isolated elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees.
Construction begins
After Knowles Hill was sold to the Willesden Local Board, they appointed Oliver Claude Robson to be the main architect. He was the SurveyorSurveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
for the Local Board, and later to the Willesden Urban District Council
Municipal Borough of Willesden
Willesden was a local government district in the county of Middlesex, England from 1874 to 1965. It formed part of the Metropolitan Police District and London postal district...
, designing the nearby Gladstone Park
Gladstone Park, London
Gladstone Park is situated in the Dollis Hill area of north-west London. It is about 35 hectares in area Dollis Hill House is an early Nineteenth-Century farmhouse, located within the northern boundary of the park.-Transport:...
as well, and serving the councils for a total of 43 years (1875 – 1918).
The Local Board allowed him a sum of £9,000 for setting out the park. He inserted 5 miles of drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
under the park and planted an additional 14,500 trees and shrubs. The work, though, was slow, because Robson chose to use local civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
s instead of main contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
s.
The main gates were built in 1895 by "Messrs. Tickner and Partington" at the Vulcan Works, located on Harrow Road, Kensal Rise. The wrought iron fence is 270 feet long and a maximum of 18 feet tall at certain places. Originally there was the Willesden Local Board's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
on the gates, but along with general acanthus leaf decorations, it has gradually disappeared over the years.
Bandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
on the top of the hill. The red-brick lodge house was constructed in the Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
-Elizabethan style, with ornamented chimney-breasts. It is currently occupied by council
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
employees.
Grand opening
Roundwood Park was finally opened to the public on 11 May 1895 by R.D.M. Littler, Q.C, Chairman of the Middlesex County CouncilMiddlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965.The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the county to constitute the County of London...
, who "dedicated it forever to the people". In the opening speech, Mr. Pinkham (Chairman of the Parks Committee) gave much praise to Robson, saying: " ... It was formerly a miniature Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
without the granite, and Mr. Robson had left them a veritable Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
without the serpents."
A plaque on the drinking fountain near the main gates commemorates the opening of the park and also remembers main architect Oliver Claude Robson for all the work he put in to create Roundwood Park.
Further construction
Robson decided that a café would be a good addition to the park, so in 1897 a suitable building was designed and constructed by council employees. It was made of brick and timber with a steeply pitched slate roof and gableGable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s, with a verandah
Verandah
A veranda or verandah is a roofed opened gallery or porch. It is also described as an open pillared gallery, generally roofed, built around a central structure...
surrounding it. Various owners succeeded one another. In 1985, a new building was constructed because the old one became run down. Known as the Lodge Café, it currently it features a children's playground, sandpit, and an outdoor seating area.
Features and events
Roundwood Park used to, and still does, house a variety of events. It also has many interesting and rare features.Shows
Roundwood Park has been the setting for many public events. In its long history it had seen numerous religious and political open-air meetings, circuses, and much other such events. For many years it was home to the Willesden Show when the place would be crowded with people. Owners of pets of many types, flowers and vegetables, and even 'bonny babies' would compete for prizes in large canvas tents. Art and crafts were shown, and demonstrations of dogDog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
handling, sheep shearing
Sheep shearing
Sheep shearing, shearing or clipping is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year...
, parachuting
Parachuting
Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
and trick motor cycling given. Later this became the Brent Show.
Music and theatre
For more than 10 years after the Park opened, the Willesden Junction Brass Band gave concerts at the bandstandBandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
. This became so popular, that a new rustic-type bandstand was built to the south of the "Gymnasium", where more space for the audience was available. The hilltop became the viewing point. Once Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
was erected, it could be seen from the viewing point.
As band concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s lost their popularity, so the park lost its bandstand. In its place a new Summer Theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
was built in 1959. It has seen Shakespeare performances. Currently it is closed and run down, only used occasionally for special events.
Rides
Once a model railway track existed here. It was set up by the Willesden and West London Society of Model Engineers. A temporary track had been laid for the 1953 Willesden Carnival, and in 1954 it opened as a permanent attraction.Charges for rides were 6p for adults and 3p for children, of which the Council took 50%. By 1957, steam engines were circuiting the raised loop of multiple gauge track during the summer months (subject to weather) on Thursday evenings and weekend afternoons & evenings. Roundwood Park Model Railway Club were running the enterprise in the early 1970s, but gradually the system fell into disuse, and was removed in 1998.
Current
Anniversary
To mark the 100th anniversary of the park in 1995, the paved rosebush-lined central pathway was equipped with sturdy new seats and a Victorian-style gazebo.Wildlife
After an approach by Willesden & District Caged Birds Society in 1955, the Council approved the establishment of an aviaryAviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. Unlike cages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages...
. It was erected the next year. Although successfully fox-proof, it has been a target for thieves. Budgerigars worth £50 were stolen in the summer of 1963, and since then the security of the building was improved. Among the occupants are Zebra Finch
Zebra Finch
The Zebra Finch, Taeniopygia guttata, is the most common and familiar estrildid finch of Central Australia and ranges over most of the continent, avoiding only the cool moist south and the tropical far north. It also can be found natively in Indonesia and East Timor...
es, Budgerigar
Budgerigar
The Budgerigar , also known as Common Pet Parakeet or Shell Parakeet informally nicknamed the budgie, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot, and the only species in the Australian genus Melopsittacus...
s, Cockatiel
Cockatiel
The Cockatiel , also known as the Quarrion and the Weiro, is the smallest cockatoo endemic to Australia. They are prized as a household pet and companion parrot throughout the world and are relatively easy to breed...
s, Canaries
Domestic Canary
The Domestic Canary, often simply known as the canary, is a domesticated form of the wild Canary, a small songbird in the finch family originating from the Macaronesian Islands ....
, and Golden Pheasant
Golden Pheasant
The Golden Pheasant or "Chinese Pheasant", is a gamebird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae...
s.
The wildlife area is a recent addition to the park. It used to have a pond surrounding the large willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
tree. This has been filled in to prevent children from drowning. This particular area is the quietest section of the park, and also sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
for birds such as Blue Tit
Blue Tit
The Blue Tit is a 10.5 to 12 cm long passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and western Asia in deciduous or mixed woodlands...
, Chaffinch
Chaffinch
The Chaffinch , also called by a wide variety of other names, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.- Description :...
, Mistle Thrush
Mistle Thrush
The Mistle Thrush is a member of the thrush family Turdidae.It is found in open woods and cultivated land over all of Europe and much of Asia...
and Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
The Great Spotted Woodpecker , Dendrocopos major, is a bird species of the woodpecker family . It is distributed throughout Europe and northern Asia, and usually resident year-round except in the colder parts of its range...
, as well as many common species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
.
The fish pond near the Lodge was proposed by the Willesden & District Aquarist Club during 1956, and completed in 1957. It boasts a large willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
and tulip
Tulip
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
trees. In summer, turtles live in the pond.
Sport
Roundwood Park has always been devoted to floral displays, and a quiet and relaxing environment. Sporting activities are not usually catered for, with the exception of a bowling greenBowling 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...
built near the centre of the southern path, next to the café. It opened in June 1924 and has been successful ever since. It has occasionally been the target for vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
, for example in 1958, but is usually in good condition.
On the other side of the hill there is a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
court. It was originally the children's playground then known as the Gymnasium. Between this and the fence is the storage area for compost
Compost
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...
, the recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
station.
Sports facilities in Roundwood Park include:
Events
The annual fireworks display on Guy Fawkes Day is one of the few in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The annual Brent Respect Festival is also a major event, celebrating the diversity and talent of the Brent
London Borough of Brent
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased...
community. It features many shows, workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
s and theatrical performances.
Achievements
Roundwood park has achieved the following:- Green Flag Status
- English Heritage Grade II Listed StatusEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...