Roundhay Park

The green spaces and places of Leeds
oldleedsman
Posts: 185
Joined: Fri 06 Jul, 2007 7:57 am

Post by oldleedsman »

Does anyone remember the maze in Roundhay Park? I don't remember it ever being open but I can remember hiding in it during school cross-country races. There was also a large cafe building nearby that had a cafe at the front and a huge room that seemed to be full of stacked table and chairs.Also donkey rides up the Hill 60 next to the arena.My sister claims there used to be a small zoo in Canal gardens with monkeys. Is there any truth in this?

LS1
Posts: 2184
Joined: Mon 23 Jul, 2007 8:30 am

Post by LS1 »

Indeed there is. Where the newest gardens are in the back of the park where the Canal Gardens backs on to Old Park Road is where the zoo used to be. If you walk round the Canal Gardens round the canal, past the little summer house at the end with it on the left you will see in the wall the old enterance that is now bricked up. Have a look on Leodis there are some pictures of the old cafe in the park. It was where the new play area is now, and up until they built this you could see the old foundation walls. It certainly was a massive structure.

LS1
Posts: 2184
Joined: Mon 23 Jul, 2007 8:30 am

Post by LS1 »

Indeed there is. Where the newest gardens are in the back of the park where the Canal Gardens backs on to Old Park Road is where the zoo used to be. If you walk round the Canal Gardens round the canal, past the little summer house at the end with it on the left you will see in the wall the old enterance that is now bricked up. Have a look on Leodis there are some pictures of the old cafe in the park. It was where the new play area is now, and up until they built this you could see the old foundation walls. It certainly was a massive structure.

drapesy
Posts: 2614
Joined: Sat 24 Feb, 2007 4:50 pm

Post by drapesy »

I remember when the maze was open (I dont think it was too difficult!)- also the cafe when the big room was open. there was a small funfair (permanent) nearby until about 12 years ago - with dodgems, a helter-skelter, roundabouts swings etc.. I can also remember Boat rides on the big Lake and on the little lake there were small paddle boats for kids(health and safety would have a fit these days!) - the quay side where they were moored is still there - there was a small kiosk where you paid .
there are 10 types of people in the world. Those that understand ternary, those that don't and those that think this a joke about the binary system.

oldleedsman
Posts: 185
Joined: Fri 06 Jul, 2007 7:57 am

Post by oldleedsman »

[quotenick="LS1"]Indeed there is. Where the newest gardens are in the back of the park where the Canal Gardens backs on to Old Park Road is where the zoo used to be. If you walk round the Canal Gardens round the canal, past the little summer house at the end with it on the left you will see in the wall the old enterance that is now bricked up. Yes, that's exactly where my sister said it was. Were there monkeys in there?The cafe was, indeed, huge. It says on leodis that it was an old boathouse and there was living accommodation above.I have some cine film of me on the swings in the fair-ground area.
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LS1
Posts: 2184
Joined: Mon 23 Jul, 2007 8:30 am

Post by LS1 »

Hey oldleedsman, do you have any other cine film of Leeds at all? I am trying to collect as much as I can and transfer it to DVD for posterity!To be honest I cant remember the zoo myself as I'm a young 'un. But I do remember the fairground. I think the people who ran it must have lived on site as there was always caravans there.The cafe: seems strange it was used as a boathouse, as it was far from the lake and there was already a boathouse that was built in the 1900s. - I wonder if they are mixing it up with this?I also have some cine film (i'm not that much of a young 'un) of me in the paddle boats in the big lake. This was ner the old boathouse and there were the wooden posts (still there) so you couldnt get into the main part of the lake. When I got older I "progressed" to the row boats and could go alll the way round the lake!Also remember the old climbing frame which was far superior to the new one. Had some real fun on there, and then playing in the old loos nearby and also in the old swimming pool until they filled it in and knocked down the old changing room!

gbdlufc
Posts: 80
Joined: Sat 23 Jun, 2007 10:08 am

Post by gbdlufc »

Hi, yeah I remember the maze, was it at the side of the pavillion on the side of the arena? Not seen the park for years but is the fair still there, if not where did it go to? And who owns all the rides nowadays, is it still Fred Miller?

oldleedsman
Posts: 185
Joined: Fri 06 Jul, 2007 7:57 am

Post by oldleedsman »

LS1 wrote: Hey oldleedsman, do you have any other cine film of Leeds at all? I am trying to collect as much as I can and transfer it to DVD for posterity!To be honest I cant remember the zoo myself as I'm a young 'un. But I do remember the fairground. I think the people who ran it must have lived on site as there was always caravans there.The cafe: seems strange it was used as a boathouse, as it was far from the lake and there was already a boathouse that was built in the 1900s. - I wonder if they are mixing it up with this?I also have some cine film (i'm not that much of a young 'un) of me in the paddle boats in the big lake. This was ner the old boathouse and there were the wooden posts (still there) so you couldnt get into the main part of the lake. When I got older I "progressed" to the row boats and could go alll the way round the lake!Also remember the old climbing frame which was far superior to the new one. Had some real fun on there, and then playing in the old loos nearby and also in the old swimming pool until they filled it in and knocked down the old changing room! Hi LS1I'm not that old, just 'old' as in 'I used to live in Leeds but now don't' type 'old'.I transferred the cine film on to video about 15 years ago but haven't got round to digitising it. All it has of Leeds is a bit of me in the fairground and then a short bit in the bit near Canal Gardens. Not very exciting. From about 1963.I can remember going boating in the early 70s on Waterloo lake (I think you could also go on the smaller top lake) when you had to be 15 to hire a boat.There was an evening event there in about 1973, by the top lake. It could have been Bonfire night. The big thing was that Pans People were there! A huge crush to get to see them and then when I finally got to the front, I couldn't believe how small they all were.

fred miller
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri 26 Oct, 2007 3:29 pm

Post by fred miller »

hi oldsmen my name is fred miller i used to run the funfair in roundhay park that was started by my great grandad shourtly after the second world war. During the seventies the cafe used to by run by mavis and sunny carvelle and the boathouse was seperate it used to be called the pancake which hung over waterloo lake. Are family are friends of the gilpins who run the mansion hotel We had to leave roundhay park after our contract run with the council who tried there hardest to have it cancilled six days after my dad died on christmas day so as you can understand i have no respect for leeds city council as thay ownley do as thay please as proven when we handed in a 25000 signiture pertition to keep the funfair as it was part of the parks history for over 50 years but groups like the friends of roundhay park can get the council to jump through hoops for them even through the general public does not like them so how do little people fifght a council that does what it wants
ftmiller

Phill_d
Posts: 2638
Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 6:22 am

Post by Phill_d »

I've got to say Fred i can understand your sentiments exactly. I remember the kids rides, I've got a pic of me on the train thing in 1970. Joe public wanted it to stay, as you say it had a lot of support from the public with the signature petition & Y.E.P coverage. What's there now? Nothing. a few climbing things that look very boring compared to my day when climbing the Helter Skelter steps put the fear of god in you but you just loved every minute of it
A fool spends his entire life digging a hole for himself.A wise man knows when it's time to stop!(phill.d 2010)http://flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/

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