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News about New Railings!
July 2010
We have been successful in a
major grant application to Haringey’s Making The Difference to restore
and repaint the Finsbury Gardens Railings - £9,500 agreed grant.
Haringey Parks Dept has agreed to match this sum. For the first time for
decades – probably since before the last war – the original late
Victorian railings and gates are to get love and attention and a coat of
paint.
Work should start on site on August 9th and will last c.8-10 weeks. The
hedges will have to be cut back in places to let the painter paint the
railings.
We have a problem where the cars bash the railings on Clarence Road. We
don’t want beautiful ‘new’ railings to be damaged. The solution is
either to provide bollards or move the railings inside the hedge -
discussions are ongoing. No more money is available from Haringey – so
we might need to do further fund-raising for this. We may need YOUR
help.
To read more details about this,
go to the full report from from the Friends of Finsbury Gardens
by
clicking here (opens in a new windown in .pdf format).
Finsbury Gardens is our local village green. It sits on
the New River, in a very nice horse-chestnut lined square, between Truro
and Nightingale Roads, and is the largest and oldest open space in Bowes
Park.
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In May 2008 the central raised bed was
re-planted with colourful and less forbidding plants.
The Gardens, with its recently refurbished playground, is popular with
families and children of all ages. |
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Here are some of the things we’ve achieved so far:
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Creation of a much
brighter, lighter environment.
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Improvements to
the children’s playground (including installing a very popular
climbing wall) and ensuring it is locked at night.
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Some very
successful gardening sessions, resulting in:a
completely revamped central bed;remodelling
of the hedges, introducing wild roses;a
glorious display of spring tulips and daffs.
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Installation of a
delightful wooden ‘frog’ seat.
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Creation of very
attractive signage and notice boards.
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Installation of
new dog & rubbish bins.
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We have the
funding and are due to get some new benches, birdbath and a table.
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Held very
atmospheric Christmas Carols by Candlelight, which has rapidly
become something of a tradition!
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Temporary resident Monday February 1st 2009 |
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have also taken on the grassy expanse which stretches along the New
River from the gardens to Bounds Green Road. We have given it a name -
Hidden River Path - fruit trees, bulbs and shrubs have been
planted, bins have gone in and the path is now enjoyed by many.
Future Plans
We have done plenty of the ‘smaller’ things and are now moving towards
more fundamental changes. The middle landscaped area and the ballcourt
area both need substantial funds to make real changes. We are also
desperate to refurbish our original wrought iron railings before they
have rotted too far for renovation. As a result we need to explore the
possibility of applying for a lottery bid and a Make-the-Difference
Haringey grant which would enable us to make major improvements. This
will take a certain amount of expertise - so if anyone knows about
writing bids and can help, we would be delighted to hear from them!
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This summer, in conjunction with the Community Gardens, we also
organized the Bowes Park Tunnel Festival, to commemorate 150 years
of the river tunnel that goes under our gardens and along the back of
our houses.
Who are the
Friends of Finsbury Gardens?
Anyone who is interested in improving the only railed gardens in our
area. New people are always most welcome.
How do I join?
Please contact Kate Franzmann to find out when the next meeting is, or
just for a chat.
If you are live locally and would like
to join the group, or if you have information and expertise that can
help, we would love to hear from you. Contact Kate by email
by clicking here or by phone on 8888 1689.
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You can click the thumbnails below
to get a more views of some of the things we've been doing:-
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This postcard of 1904 shows the recently
created Finsbury Gardens. At the far end you can see what were then
shops on Finsbury Road, which, together with the shops in Commerce Road,
formed the first Wood Green shopping centre.
The
map on the left is from 1894 when what we now know as Finsbury Gardens
was just an empty plot with the New River running underneath in its
tunnel. Finsbury Gardens was the name used for the gardens between
Trinity Road and Bounds Green Road that are now called Trinity Gardens.
The
map on the right from 1912 shows Finsbury Gardens with its winding
paths. Nightingale School has been built at the end of what is now
Trinity Gardens, and Bounds Green Road had trams!
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