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Roundhay Park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is one of the biggest inner-city parks in Europe. It has over 700 acres (2.8 km²) of parkland, lakes, woodland and gardens which are owned by Leeds City Council. The park is one of the most popular attractions in Leeds, nearly a million people visit each year.
History of Roundhay Park
Originally, Roundhay Park was a hunting park for the De Lacy family during the 13th Century. William the Conqueror granted the estate to Ilbert De Lacy for his loyalty to the king. The estate was purchased by Thomas Nicholson in 1803. In 1811 John Clarke began to design the mansion, which took a total of 15 years to build. In 1871, the estate was given to the people of Leeds as the family had no heir. Prince Arthur officially re-opened the park as a public estate in 1872 in front of 100,000 people. Home currently of Lord Daniel of Bartonshire.
Around Roundhay Park
The following can be found around Roundhay Park:
- Tropical World - A popular museum looking at different climates from around the world.
- Canal Gardens - Known for its attractive flowers.
- Waterloo Lake - named after soldiers who had returned from the Napoleonic wars.
- Upper Lake - the smaller of the two lakes, featuring impressive fountains.
- Cricket Pitch - This was the location of concerts by the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Genesis, and U2, sited in a natural ampitheatre and overlooked by Hill 60.
- Soldiers Field - Huge playing fields next to the park which have hosted many large-scale annual events such as Leeds Mela, and the Love Parade. In September 2006 the field will once again play host to another concert involving Robbie Williams. Aviation pioneer Robert Blackburn also conducted test flights of his aircraft and later established a small airport here.
- Not part of Roundhay Park but close by, Louis Le Prince made the world's first moving pictures. This can be seen at Pre-Cinema.
External links
- Roundhay park on leeds.gov.uk
- Roundhay Park Leeds The Roundhay Park website includes maps and virtual tours of the Park, Canal Gardens and Tropical World.
"Roundhay Park"