FRIENDS OF PRIORY PARK

preserving  and  protecting  our park

 

Spring/Summer 2005 Newsletter

 

Dear Friends

 

As we were putting this newsletter together, we learned by chance that the Council wants to put a skateboard / roller blade / BMX park in Priory Park.  Despite concerns from the Friends’ Committee raised back in December, it looks as though this may well go ahead. The proposed location entails concreting over part of the old bowling club green.

 

Please read the enclosed flyer and contact Steve Hooper, Chair of Friends of Priory Park at steve@hooper-gardens.freeserve.co.uk or post to Steve Hooper, 6 Barrington Road, Crouch End N8 8QS to raise any objections or let us know if you support this proposal.

 

Our main concerns are: the ramps will be above, not below the level and therefore visually intrusive, noise levels for adjoining residents, potential problems at night, maintenance and the fact that Priory Park has lots of activities going on already and this is one activity too many. There must be other suitable locations in Crouch End that could be adapted.

 

Please let us have your ideas and views by Monday 25 April – the consultation period set by the Council is very short.

 

Committee members Alison Johnston, Steve Hooper and Fran Shepherd.

 

 

Introducing Cathy Perry, the Priory Park based Heritage Project Officer,

 

Celebrating Heritage in Priory Park !

Or should I say the Middle Lane Pleasure Grounds and Lewcock’s Field. That’s what we would have been talking about before 1926!

 

I am a Heritage Project Officer for West Haringey  - employed by BTCV (formerly British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. My role is to work with the communities of West Haringey to work with local people to raise awareness of the heritage of the area.

 

The area’s history is a fascinating story of rural village to urban district, with all the social changes that have shaped the last 100 years. Ultimately the area retains a character built up since it took on its modern shape in the late 19th century - a heaving, creative hub with a distinct village feel, made all the more tangible with some wonderful architecture and open spaces. It’s important to share this knowledge with as many people as possible.

 

Do you know much about the park’s heritage? Or want to know more?  Want to get involved with delivering fun projects in the park? Coming up we have: -

 

Heritage Trail

Excitingly, the Parks department have given us the go ahead to install a heritage trail in Priory Park. Vic McRae, of the Friends group, is instrumental in putting his vast knowledge of the park to paper and we hope to have these boards up by June/July. We’ll be looking to connect the boards by way of markings on the ground – should be a fun painting day for the kids so keep a look out for more info on the notice board, via newsletters and email.

 

Guided walk and Talk – 17th July, 11am -  meet in old bowling pavilion

As part of a walks and talks series in west Haringey – ‘Heritage on your Doorstep’ – Priory Park is holding a guided walk and talk – again thanks to Vic’s invaluable help.

 

Beyond Priory Park, the full Heritage on your Doorstep series of walks and talks is outlined below: -

 


 Hornsey Church Tower                       Sunday April 24th, 2pm, outside tower

 Highgate Wood                                   Wednesday May 4th, 6pm, Information Hut (centre of wood)

 Queen’s Wood                                    Sunday May 15th, 2pm, by the old keepers lodge

 Muswell Hill Broadway                       Saturday June 11th, 2pm outside Muswell Hill Library

 Hornsey Church Tower                       Sunday 26th June

 Hornsey to Crouch End                       Women’s History Tour - Sunday 3rd July, 2pm, outside Hornsey Library

 Crouch End Broadway                        Wednesday 6th July, 6pm, outside Crouch End Town Hall

 Priory Park (Hornsey High St)             Sunday 17th July, 11am, meet in former bowling pavilion

 Coldfall Wood                                     Sunday August 21st, 2pm

 Highgate Wood                                   Wednesday September 1st, 6pm, Information Hut (centre of wood)

 Parkland Walk                                    Saturday September 17th, 2pm, meet at Oxford Road (nr Finsbury Park)

 

 

We can do lots more events here in this beautiful park on top of the great work the Friends already do – we just need volunteer help, ideas, enthusiasm and maybe a bit of time for fundraising. I’d love to hear your ideas.

 

Please feel free to call me on 07764 655724 or email me on c.perry@btcv.org.uk

 

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

Report from Priory Park Manager, Tony Healey

 

Works coming up or currently in progress:

  • 20 trees planted, 3 shrub beds renewed and more wildlife seed planting
  • Installation of 4 new benches
  • Provision of disabled toilets and renewing the old toilets
  • New dog bin bag dispenser
  • Roundabout dual use
  • Paddling pool area resurfacing and new bark and sand in the play area
  • Pathways resurfacing
  • Re-marking of hard area and tennis.
  • New floor and up-dating of works to bowling green pavilion
  • New Signs

  • Coming Events in the Park

     

    22 May          Hornsey YMCA 10K Fun Run
    2/3 July          Carter’s Steam Fair
     
    Work to be carried out to staff yard


 

 

 

 

 

 White Hart Lane Recreation Ground – update

 

 

In our previous issue, we reported that back in November, Haringey’s Planning Committee rejected the application by Sir Thomas More School to annexe part of White Hart Lane Rec by 5 votes to 0, in spite of the Planning Officers recommendation to accept. The decision was principally on the grounds of restriction of access. 

 

We’d particularly like to single out for thanks Councillor Fred Knight, on the P C, who spoke out very strongly on the necessity of green spaces for all and Councillor Brian Haley, who spoke vigorously against the motion from the floor.

 

This decision, together with vocal public opinion, has had repercussions.  In February, Planning Officer Shifa Mustapha told the Planning Applications Sub-Committee that there was huge community opposition to the infamous SLOL clause ( SLOL = Significant Local Open Land ) in the draft Haringey Plan 2004, allowing development in parks by neighbouring institutions (such as educational establishments).

 

She recommended, and the PASC agreed, that the clause be withdrawn in favour of the original wording.  The revised draft will then be debated for the next two months, starting mid April, so it’s not yet safe to celebrate. 

 

Much of this opposition was lead by the Friends of Parks Forum and the Haringey Federation of Residents Associations, together with individual parks groups and local residents’ associations.

 

 

Haringey Council issued the following press release –

 

 

Open spaces in Haringey will be protected, Tuesday 15 February 2005

 

New protection for Haringey's open spaces will be at the heart of the council's Unitary Development Plan (UDP) proposals due to go before the council's Executive this month.

 

"Our open spaces are important for local people and we should not be allowing any development on them," said Executive Member for Environment,  Councillor Ray Dodds, who will be recommending the strengthened policy to the executive. "We need to protect our parks now and in the future."

 

The UDP will set planning policies for the borough for the next decade. During extensive consultation on the draft plan, the possibility of allowing development for schools or other educational uses on existing open space had been discussed. But the Executive on 22 February will now be asked to rule out any development on open spaces.

 

"As with all urban areas, space is at a premium in Haringey and we do need to plan for our schoolchildren in the future. But open space is also vital for our communities," added Councillor Dodds.

 

“We have listened to local people and the clear view is that we need stronger policies to protect our open space," said Councillor Lorna Reith, Executive Member for Community Involvement. "We will therefore be making it absolutely clear that Haringey's parks and commons are not up for grabs.”

 

The full draft plan will go before a planning inspector at a public inquiry, due to start on April 12,

which could last up to two months. Following the inquiry the inspector will make final recommendations, and the plan will come into force in 2006, running until 2016.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Carter’s Steam Fair is coming back to Priory Park July 2/3 2005

 

If you have never seen Carter’s Royal Berkshire Steam Fair, you have missed a treat and you should get yourself and your friends and family down to Priory Park to enjoy a wonderful experience – beautifully restored steam driven fairground rides, including Gallopers, Steam Yachts, Swing Boats, Dodgems and Dive Bombers, all accompanied by decorated period lorries and caravans.  Then there’s the colours, the vivid reds and blues and greens and the shining golds - and the sounds of the organ, the bells, the whistles and the steam engines themselves mixing with the 50s rock and roll music of the Dodgems.

 

Fairgrounds have been with us a long time.  Animals, theatrical displays and exhibitions began appearing at traditional fairs in the early nineteenth century, but it wasn’t until the 1860s that we find documentary evidence of a steam-driven merry-go-round. A reporter from the Halifax Courier in 1863 described a ‘roundabout of huge proportions, driven by a steam engine which whirled around with such impetuosity, that the wonder is the daring riders are not shot off like cannon- ball, and driven half into the middle of next month’.  One local resident was worried by the risk of explosion, claiming that the state of pressure at which it was worked endangered the lives of scores of children. Fortunately, he was ignored.

We have to thank John Carter for this fair.  Back in the 1970s and 80s, he promoted steam events.  Then in 1976 he bought a set of Gallopers – fairground horses to you and me – as an addition to the show. That first fairground ride cost a lot of time and money to restore, but this year those horses celebrated their 109th birthday.  (For those amongst you who are technically minded, the ride was built by Tidmans of Norwich in 1895, complete with a Tidman Duplex Centre Engine called 'Anna', a 46-Key Gavioli Organ from 1900, original horses carved by Andersons of Bristol around 1910 and an ornate paybox from a Gondola Switchback).

 

And from then it just grew.  The Steam Fair opened in 1977, the Chair-o-Planes ride and Steam Yachts were added in the 80s and the Rock n’ Roll Dodgems and the Octopus ride in the 90s.  This year saw the launch of the splendid Victory Dive Bomber, originally built in 1946 and extensively restored over 2001 – 2003 and graced with paintings of Spitfires.

 

John Carter died in 2000 but luckily for us it’s a family business, so it has carried on – Anna Carter, his wife, is responsible for much of the painted restoration of the rides and the children started young working on the organ and graduating to driving the engines.  Now the Fair travels all summer throughout the Thames Valley area from its base in Maidenhead.

 

So, do come even if it is just to look and admire the rides, the caravans, the lorries and the steam engines – if you don’t fancy spinning around the sky in a 1961 Octopus or sailing away in a 1921 Steam Yacht, you could always test your strength on the rarely seen Striker ( there’s a full size "Mighty Striker" and the half size "Son of Striker" for the children ).

 

If you can’t visit the fair or would like to know more about Carter’s, have a look at their website http://www.carters-steam-fair.co.uk/main.html or for more general information go to http://www.thegalloper.com/

 

 

We hope that you have enjoyed this newsletter. If there are any other items of information, events or activities or anything else you would like to see included in the Newsletter, please contact us c/o:

 

Tony Healey for the attention of Friends of Priory Park,

Environmental Services, Recreation Division, Contract House, Park View Road,

London, N17 9AY. 

ANTHONY.HEALEY@haringey.gov.uk