Roundhay

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude = 53.831000
longitude = -1.497000
official_name = Roundhay
population = 21,823
metropolitan_borough = Leeds
metropolitan_county = West Yorkshire
region = Yorkshire and the Humber
constituency_westminster = Leeds North East
post_town = LEEDS
postcode_district = LS8
postcode_area = LS
dial_code = 0113
os_grid_reference = SE331373
static_

static_image_caption=Canal Gardens, Roundhay Park

Roundhay is a large suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a very prosperous and largely affluent suburb on the north eastern edge of the city, adjacent to Alwoodley, Shadwell Village, Chapel Allerton, Moortown, Gledhow and Oakwood.

History

The most well known area of the suburb is the 700 acre Roundhay Park, one of Europe's largest. In the thirteenth century it was a three square mile hunting park for the DeLacy family of Pontefract Castle. The entire estate was purchased by the City of Leeds in 1872 and opened as a public park by His Royal Highness Prince Arthur on 19 September 1872.

At the time, the then Lord Mayor of Leeds John Barran was ridiculed for buying a 'White Elephant' - in that the park was too far out of the city for the majority of the population to enjoy, and in any event the park had just one access road - an old turnpike road dating from 1808.

The park was seen as a reckless waste of ratepayers money - critics even published a booklet under the title: 'The Big White Elephant' in 1879.

In June 1907 an open air swimming pool 'lido' opened, at a cost of just over £1,600, it was built mainly by unemployed citizens. During the 1950s and 1960s about 100,000 people a year visited the Roundhay 'swimming baths'.

Roundhay holds the honour of being the location of the world's oldest surviving film, "Roundhay Garden Scene", which is thought to have been shot on 14 October 1888 by Louis Le Prince at "Oakwood Grange".

The Mansion

In 1811, John Clarke (d. 1857) of York, architect of the ‘Commercial Buildings’ in Leeds City Centre, was commissioned by Nicholson to design his Mansion House.

This classical building built in ashlar, on two storeys with seven bays with the centre three set behind an iron portico, was one of Clarke’s earlier works and took some years to build. It is of modest size, but sufficiently elevated so as to command superb views Southwards over the park, and provides a focal point to Thomas Nicholson’s designed landscape.

The Park

Roundhay Park (2.8 km²), is a grand, Victorian park, the second largest city park in Europe after the 'Englischer Garten' (3.7 km²), in Munich, Germany.

Roundhay Park comprises over convert|700|acre|km2 of parkland, lakes and woodland. The Park includes scented gardens for the blind, National Plant Collections, Canal Gardens, the Monet and Alhambra Gardens, plus Tropical World which attracts visitors all year round. In 2005 the Friends Garden was opened, located alongside Canal Gardens and the Rainbow Garden.

Woodpeckers, common warblers in spring and summer, mute swans, visiting whooper swans, great-crested grebes and herons can all be found at the park.

The Upper Lake is maintained as a wildlife area, and the larger Waterloo Lake is used for fishing. Roundhay Park also provides the venue for many special events including sporting events, flower and animal shows, music festivals and a bonfire and firework displays on 5th November.

Facilities at Roundhay Park also include tennis courts, skateboard ramps, sports pitches, bowling greens, a sports arena, a golf course, and fishing. A lakeside cafe overlooks Waterloo Lake: it was damaged by fire in 2007 but restored and re-opened in 2008. [ [http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Cheers--all-round-.4192367.jp "Yorkshire Evening Post" 17 June 2008] "Cheers all round as lake cafe re-opens"]

port and Culture

Leeds Carnegie RUFC, were originally founded after the merger of the Headingley and Roundhay Rugby Union Clubs.

The Roundhegians were originally the old boys association of Roundhay School but now operate as a Rugby Club for the whole of Roundhay.

Roundhay Park was the first place an aircraft landed in Leeds after a flight from Amsterdam, Holland.

Tropical World is located to the west of the park and contains many rare birds and wildlife.

Amenities

There are several public houses along Street Lane, there is a Co-op, several banks, a post office, a Threshers offlicence, The Flying Pizza Italian Restaurant, a Mexican Restaurant, a Texaco filling station, a Starbucks coffee shop, a Bang and Olufsen shop, a bookmakers and many other small retailers. At the opposite end of the park at Oakwood Clock, there are two supermarkets, a Somerfield and a Tesco. Away from Street Lane, various areas of Roundhay have other local amenities (corner shops etc). The local centres in Moortown and Chapel Allerton are also close by. Roundhay also has a Bupa private hospital. There is one comprehensive secondary school in Roundhay (Roundhay School), which has been recently rebuilt, as well as several primary schools in Roundhay and neighbouring Gledhow. Roundhay is home to Roundhegians RUFC who play at their Chelwood Drive ground at the West end of Roundhay, near Moortown. Leeds Golf Club is situated at Roundhay Park, this is considered one of the best golf courses in Leeds.

Housing

Roundhay has a wide variety of housing. There is a large mixture of Victorian through terraces, villas and twentieth century detached and semi detached housing. All of the housing in Roundhay is privately built, the nearest council housing in on the Lincombe Estate in neighbouring Gledhow; unlike many council estates in Leeds, this has a favourable reputation and house prices are high. Because there has never been any mass house building in Roundhay at any one time, there is no consistent style throughout the area. Roundhay is perhaps the most expensive area for houses within the Leeds Outer Ring Road, however areas outside such as Alwoodley, probably fetch higher house prices. There are also many flats adjacent to the park and along the northern edge of Roundhay.

Religion

* [http://www.allnationscc.org/ All Nations Community Church]
* [http://www.stjohnsroundhay.co.uk/ St. Johns CE Church]
* [http://stedmunds.roundhay.org.uk/home.htm St. Edmunds CE Church]
* [http://www.geocities.com/roundhaymethodists/ Roundhay Methodist Church]
* [http://www.leedsnemethodist.org.uk/Lidgett.htm Lidgett Park Methodist Church]
* [http://www.standrewsroundhay.org.uk/St. Andrew's URC Church]
* [http://www.roundhayevangelicalchurch.com/ Roundhay Evangelical Church]
* [http://www.leedsquakers.org.uk/index.php?section=MEETINGS&page=Roundhay Society of Friends (Quakers)]

Education

Roundhay Schools are amongst the highest performing schools in Leeds.

*Roundhay School
* [http://www.gledhow.leeds.sch.uk/ Gledhow Primary School]
* [http://www.talbot.leeds.sch.uk/ Talbot Primary School]
* [http://www.kerrmackie.leeds.sch.uk/ Kerr Mackie Primary School]
*St. John's Church of England Primary School, Roundhay

References

External links

* [http://www.roundhaytoday.co.uk/ YEP Roundhay Today Community Website]
* [http://www.forp.co.uk The Friends of Roundhay Park - Registered Charity]
* [http://www.roundhegians.org/index.html The Roundhegians]
* [http://www.leodis.net/rss/leodisRoundhayRSS.xml Images of Roundhay]
* [http://www.allnationscc.org All Nations Community Church]
* [http://www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/index.asp?pg=ConsRou.htm history of Roundhay Park Conservation Area]
* [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/WRY/Barwickinelmet/index.html The Ancient Parish of Barwick in Elmet] at GENUKI: Roundhay was in this parish