Weather
Derby, United Kingdom
Temp: 4°C
Wind Chill: 0°C
Humidity: 75%
Speed: 21 km/h
Direct.: 60°
Barom.: 1031.2 mb
ENE
Show more details
Provided by: 
Who's Online
Archive
Allestree Park

Latest items on the website

 

 

 

A Happy New Year to all users of  the Park from the Friends of Allestree Park...

 

 

 

 

Allestree Park in Derby, England, is the largest and most scenic of the City’s parks. Although lying on the northern boundary of the city of Derby, it merges with the attractive hilly countryside of the south Peak District fringe. Much of the Park is a golf course, but there are a multitude of different wildlife habitats ranging from woodland to the large lake.

 

 

derwent valley from big wood
   

  PICTURE OF THE MONTH:  Looking west across Allestree Park from Big Wood 

  17th February  2010 - Bill Grange 

 
 
 
The Park was laid out in late 18th century, when the present Hall was built. The Hall is now largely empty - being the subject of several abandoned schemes in recent years, one of them being a nature museum.

The Park is largely used for quiet recreation by Derby’s people, with a variety of interesting walks, including a nature trail. It is easy to get away from it all in this splendid park and it is difficult to realise when walking in its woodlands and meadows that it lies within the boundary of an industrial city.
 
There is a wealth of wildlife in the Park, including several county rarities. This variety is partly the result of a varied underlying geology.

foap logo 2009.04 - web versionThe Friends of Allestree Park group was founded in 2005 and is open to anyone who is interested in Allestree Park, its conservation, educational and recreational value.
 
As well as liaising with Derby City Council, which owns and runs the Park, the Friends have organised a programme of events, including talks, activity days for young people, nature walks and conservation work parties. The latter have included tackling the alien and invasive Himalayan balsam and rhododendron, cleaning out debris from part of the Lake  and working with Derbyshire Conservation Volunteers in restoring the main footpath through Big Wood and installing an impressive flight of steps.  
 
  We have instigated  the clearing of a large amount of invasive sycamore from part of Big Wood, carried out by members of Broomfield College, which will be followed by replanting with native shrubs and trees.
 
A more unusual project was painting a tree mural on a previously graffiti-blighted pumping house on the Lake shore, to make it blend with its surroundings.
 
We also mounted a successful campaign to save the animal pens near the Hall from closure and prevent the scrapping of the permanent on-site ranger service. 
   

 
alex kilpatrick - 1Our Former Chairman, Alex Kilpatrick
 
We are sure that all who knew him will be greatly saddened to hear that Alex Kilpatrick, the first Chairman of the Friends of Allestree Park, passed away on 12th January, 2009, being diagnosed with a brain tumour the previous year. Alex was really the founder of the Friends and has been the driving force behind many of our projects, being an inspiration to us all  with his enthusiasm and warm sense of humour. Many more tributes to Alex can be seen by clicking on the arrow:
  arrow
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
LATEST:
 
The Friends of Allestree Park - Long-term Plan.
 
we have produced a plan of what we want to achieve in the five years from 2010 to 2015. Click on the item 'FOAP Long-term Plan' in the menu list at top left of this page. Please read it and see what you think of it.
 

 

'Tree O’Clock'

   

We joined WildDerby and partners at Big Wood, Allestree Park - on Saturday 5th December, 2009 - to plant trees as part of the BBC Breathing Places attempt to beat Guinness World Record for the most trees planted in 1 hour.
 
Click on 'News and Comments' (top left menu) for an illustrated report.  

 

   
The proceedings of the Friends of Allestree Park's Annual General  Meeting on 14th October.
 
Veteran tree Walk on 8th November, '08
 
There are also illustrated accounts of both the Big Wood steps project, and pump-house mural project, completed in August 2009.
 
 
 
nature diary web button

Allestree Park Nature Diary - click on button on left.  Reports from visitors to the Park for this section are very welcome.
CLICK ON BUTTON ON LEFT 
 
 
 
 
________________________________________ 

  ALLESTREE PARK - A PHOTOGRAPHIC INTRODUCTION 
   
 
 
allestree park aerial annotated
AERIAL PHOTO OF ALLESTREE PARK 
The red numbers show the location of the photos on this page
1. Allestree Hall

Built in the late 18th century - it is a Grade 2* listed   building. It was once the home of the Evans Family who founded Darley Abbey Mills. Apart for a bar and other facilities of Allestree Park Golf Club, it is now empty, being the subject of several failed schemes in recent years, one of them being a Nature Museum.

 

allestree hall
 
2. View from the Hall Gardens to
the southern boundary of the Park in early spring
view from hall garden
 3. The Lake in Winter lake in winter
 4. The Lake in Spring lake in spring
 
5. View across the Park from the southern boundary
In the foreground is a splendid old oak, one of many fine trees in the park.
derwent valley and large oak
 
6. Big Wood in autumn

Autumn  turns Big Wood into a magical place. Here sunbeams filter through a grove of yew trees.

 

 

 

 

woodland sunbeams
 
7. Woodlands Field in late autumn
 Woodlands Field is a City Wildlife Site because of its varied flora. Views across the Derwent Valley from here are magnificent, especially with the trees in autumn colour and with the grass and herbage dusted with frost.

 

 

 

 Photos by Bill Grange

 

Site compiled by Bill Grange

woodlands field in late autumn

 

 

Last Updated ( Sunday, 21 February 2010 )
Read more...