Roundhay Park
Roundhay Park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is one of the biggest city parks in Europe.[1] It covers more than 700 acres (2.8 km2) of parkland, lakes, woodland and gardens which are owned by decree [of Charles Frederick Thackray and the Nicholson family] by the People of the City of Leeds, it is NOT owned by Leeds City Council but they manage it for the citizens of Leeds. 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 suburb of Roundhay to the west, Oakwood to the south and the A6120 outer ring road to the north.
Roundhay Park
Parkland, woodland, gardens
700 acres (2.8 km2)
1872
Open all year
In the Butterfly House, Tropical World
In the Desert House, Tropical World
Part of the Jungle, Tropical World
Canal Gardens, separated by Street Lane from the main area of the park, contains Tropical World, a series of temperature-controlled glasshouses representing different climates from around the world. It holds the largest collection of tropical plants in the UK after Kew Gardens.
The main building, Coronation House, is named from the original 1911 building, the year of the coronation of George V. The present construction was built in 1939 and modernised in 1983, re-opening as Tropical World.[2] In July 2008 it was renamed The Arnold and Marjorie Ziff Tropical World. Arnold Ziff gave £30,000 towards its launch.[10]
Tropical World has a butterfly house and aquariums. Exhibits include birds and some reptiles living free inside, and many other animals in enclosures including a group of meerkats. Its nocturnal house is home to creatures such as bats which are active at night. In 2015 following further refurbishment and alterations an Aztec zone opened in the area transformed into an Amazon themed zone occupied by piranhas and salamanders.
The Gardens of the World area also contains four of Leeds City Council's prize winning entries to the Chelsea Flower Show which were permanently relocated to the garden between 2008 and 2011:
All the gardens are wheelchair accessible and there are gardens for blind people with scented plants and braille inscriptions.
The rotunda
Capital and cornice
Sink with shell splashback
Thomas Nicholson had planned to make a third lake in a hollow which is now the Arena, but he died before doing so. In 1894, it was converted into a sports arena with cycle track, providing work for unemployed people in Leeds.[2] It is overlooked by a mound known as Hill 60, which was so named to commemorate Leeds soldiers who died in First World War battles around Hill 60 near Ypres.[19] The arena can hold over 100,000 people. This was the location of large concerts by The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Simple Minds, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Madonna, Level 42, Genesis, Robbie Williams, U2 & Cast, among others. In the summer, it is used as a cricket pitch.[20]
This grade II listed[21] drinking fountain in the shape of a classical rotunda was presented to the Borough of Leeds by John Barran in 1882. Its water outlets have been removed. Its sculpture was executed by John Wormald Appleyard.[22]
A folly built in 1811 by local master builder George Nettleton[23] to give the appearance of a castle gate. It originally had a wooden roof and an upper room, and was used as a summerhouse, a sewing room for the Nicholson girls, and for social functions such as dinners.[2]
The 3-mile geology trail to the north of the park takes in "The Gorge", a V-shaped valley cut by glacial meltwater, and shale beds reflecting a period of sea incursion. These geological features were laid down around 300 million years ago, when this part of the Earth's crust was close to the equator.[24]
Hill 60, a popular sledging location in winter, is named after Hill 60 south of Ypres, Belgium, site of a battle fought in the spring of 1915 during World War 1,[25] in memory of Leeds soldiers who lost their lives in the battle.[26]
So called because it was the gathering place for troops in the First World War. 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 conducted test flights of his aircraft in 1909 and in 1919 established a small airport here, with flights to London and Amsterdam.[27] There is a golf course and tennis courts, as well as the use of Soldiers' Field and the Arena for sports events.