Why is a restoration project needed?

 visitors sometimes feel insecure or threatened by overgrown shrubberies, vandalism, loitering youths, poor lighting and the lack of  parks staff on site;

 there are no basic park facilities, such as toilets;

 the park lacks a central focal point in the form of a café or sheltered meeting space;

 maintenance of the park has declined significantly in the last 15 years;

 there are a number of redundant buildings and other features requiring extensive repair and/or a productive new use;

 the play area is considered inadequate by local users;

 cycle, footpath, and bus access routes are not clearly signed, and some paths are in poor condition;

 the park lacks a clear sense of identity through the loss of boundary railings and subdivision by, and proximity to, busy roads.

The main areas for improvement are:

A new café, toilets, and other facilities

 A new, replacement play area, securely fenced and visible from the café

 improved sports facilities

 renewal and replacement of park furniture to create a unified visual appearance, based on the historic designs

 improvements to the park lighting

 intense pruning, reshaping and replanting of overgrown shrubberies

 repair and resurfacing of paths in poor condition

 thinning and management of areas of dense trees, to reopen historic views

 repair and restoration of the historic fountains

 reinstatement of the boundary railings and entrance gates

 replanting of avenue trees missing from existing historic avenues

 creation of a large hay meadow area at the western end of the park

 dedicated cycle routes to and across the park

 

 

Overall objectives:

i. wherever feasible, to conserve archaeology and surviving historic landscape fabric of earlier landscapes in situ including any evidence of the field archaeology related to the Devonport Lines and the Second World War; where this is not feasible, to conserve by recording;

ii. to conserve and restore the historic character of the park by the active conservation and restoration of the historic landscape, its features and areas, to the last significant design phase, based on the best available evidence (Ordnance Survey of 1907, photographs and written records), but subject to avoiding works which would increase the impact of modern development on the historic landscape;

iii. to conserve and enhance biodiversity primarily through the restoration of the historic landscape rather than by the creation of the new habitats;

iv. to encourage appreciation, interpretation and intellectual access to the park heritage through publications, interpretation and events at Devonport Park;

v. to hold, display and interpret copies of key archival evidence for the historic landscape, and improve public appreciation of the designed landscape;

vi. to seek funding and partnerships towards restoration and management projects consistent with coherent priorities, phasing and a programme of works;

vii. to seek to retain and enhance protection of Devonport Park through the planning system;

viii. to maintain and improve access and welcome to the park for people with disabilities, wherever this is practicable;

ix. to improve the sense of community ownership and responsibility, and reduce anti-social activity in the park;

x. to improve the economical and environmental sustainability of Devonport Park as a whole and establish a secure financial basis for the coherent management of the park;

xi. to involve people of all backgrounds and abilities in the improvements and enjoyment of Devonport Park.

 

GENERAL ISSUES AND PROPOSALS

 

Archaeology and Statutory Protection

 

Issues

The Devonport Lines are of great historical significance both to the history of Devonport and the wider context of British military history and dockyard development. At present, the sections of the Lines that survive in Devonport Park do not have any statutory protection as listed structures or scheduled ancient monuments. Similarly, Higher Lodge, the Napier fountain, Sicilian fountain, Galatea monument and Sea captains memorial, all integral features of the nineteenth century park, have no form of statutory protection.  A surviving but sealed air raid shelter is recorded on the sites and monuments record.

 

Below ground archaeology related to the Lines and, perhaps more likely, associated with Second World War structures may come to light with new development in the park. While such sites may be unlikely to warrant statutory protection, the potential for archaeology needs to be taken into account in planning any significant excavations.

 

 Proposals

i. Consult the City Council archaeologist prior to significant earthworks or excavations.  Carry out evaluations and investigations of a Second World War air raid shelter and the Gas Cleansing Centre to identify if occasional access or interpretation can be justified.

ii. Seek to schedule (or list) the surviving parts of the Devonport Lines to protect them from adjacent future development (as with the Hilsea Lines in Portsmouth).

iii. Consider listing the currently unlisted built features of historical significance to the nineteenth century park, including Higher Lodge.

iv. Support the extension of the Stoke and Milbridge Conservation Area, or designation of a new area, to ensure proper control over development.  Extend the Area boundary to include the entire English Heritage registered landscape.

 

 

5.2 Park Facilities

 

 

History

 

From the earliest records of the park, it was used for Military Evolutions and sports, with a Lodge planned on the site of Granby Bastion, but built at the park entrance.  By the 1890s there was a urinal in a shrubbery and a bandstand, replaced later in the decade, and Higher Lodge, which also served refreshments.  By 1933 a full range of facilities had been established including tennis courts, putting and bowling greens, and a public lavatory.  It was only in 1989 that Higher Lodge was leased out, staffing reduced dramatically, and public facilities were removed from the park.

 

Existing Condition

Devonport Park currently offers a play area with a rarely used miniature children’s cycle track and a range of sports facilities including football pitches, a basketball net, tennis courts, and a bowling green, scattered across the park. These are all, apart from the bowling green, in poor condition and require investment.  The provision of a central refreshment outlet, toilets and a meeting space for community-based activities has been identified in public consultations to date as the key facility that the park does not currently provide.

 

Higher Lodge is a privately run nursing home with 25 bedrooms. It is on a long lease from Plymouth City Council (figure 35), and could only be recovered through a mutual agreement between the Council and the tenant.  It is very popular in Devonport, and has a long waiting list.  Devonport Park is a significant part of the attraction of the home for potential clients and their relatives. The current owners intend to run the home until retirement and are just about to invest a substantial sum in restoring the exterior ironwork. They would encourage more integration with the park if security was improved.

 

The children’s play area has been cited as in need of improvement, with provision for a wider age group. Dog walkers entering the park from Durrant Close walk their pets across the eastern end of the play area, despite this being designated as a dog-free zone.  Limited youth facilities have also been identified as an issue in the park, and the lack of activity for young people in the park is partly blamed for a decrease in the overall sense of security. A skating facility or kickabout area has been proposed by local residents.

 

Lower Lodge is currently empty and requires considerable repair. The lessees, Devonport Regeneration Company, would prefer the building to be put into public use, however, their priority in the short term is to prevent further decay and have the building occupied in some way. The Devonport Park Training Centre have said they would be interested in using the lodge as office space, subject to its restoration.

 

Proposals

i. Brickfields already offers considerable facilities for organised sports, as will Parkside Technology College, who are applying for funding to develop a small multi-sports pitch in the school grounds for both school and community use.  Nevertheless, it should be possible to improve the performance of Devonport Park’s existing grass pitches without undue impact on its overall character, as this is consistent with part of the park’s history.  The tennis court could be refurbished purely for tennis, or as a multisports court.

 

ii. Create a main park facility which combines the requirements of a refreshment kiosk, meeting space, lavatories and, ideally, changing rooms, in view of the play area, to form a central hub of activity for the park in a viable and sustainable location. Table 3 sets out four options for possible locations for the site of this facility:

 

While option 4 (Higher Lodge) would have major heritage and viability benefits, consultation with the assets department of Plymouth City Council and the lessees of  Higher Lodge Nursing Home has confirmed that total or part conversion of Higher Lodge is not feasible. Option 1 has proved to be less popular with the public consultation feedback to date and Lower Lodge is poorly suited to conversion.  The exceedingly high standard of architectural design required for option 3, along with limited site capacity, makes option 3 a less feasible and potentially highly contentious option.

 

Option 2 is considered by all to be the most acceptable and desirable solution for the park facilities as long as there is no future prospect of re-converting Higher Lodge.    A sketch design proposal is included as appendix 7.   Development of a much-enlarged new play area, however, would mean relocation of the play area to a highly sensitive site not favoured by the Garden History Society, and therefore unlikely to be given planning permission.  For this reason, Option 2, is recommended to redevelop the Bowling Pavilion, but with a considerably improved existing play area, as in options 3 and 4.

 

iii. A significant upgrade of the play area and facilities is essential if the park is to meet its regeneration and community potential.  Consultation has substantiated objectives for the new play equipment to include accessible equipment; active, shared equipment; traditional swings; toddler play; and some form of skating.  While an intensive skateboard area is probably not appropriate within the park due to impact on residential neighbours, lack of evening supervision and visibility, impact on the registered historic landscape, and its exclusive nature, such a facility could be located in an adjacent part of Brickfields.  However, informal roller blading and roller skating may be acceptable on the wide oval walk, particularly for younger children.

 

Parkside College is proposing to develop a supervised multisports pitch; the question for the park is if there is enough demand and a revenue budget to justify a duplicate or similar pitch on the same footprint at the tennis courts.   Devonport Park was awarded funds from the Barclays Spaces for Sports Programme to refurbish the old tennis courts in 2006. Further funds are being applied for in 2007 to develop the use of the courts by the local community. It is recommended that the courts accommodate multisport use including the basketball net, allowing removal of the outdoor gym, criticised by the Garden History Society.

 

5.3 Interpretation and Education

 

Issues

Devonport Park does not currently have any form of permanent interpretation, information boards, park plans or exhibitions.   There is a disused timber sign board of distinctive design in the memorial garden, and a historic record of a signboard close to the Bowling Green.  Information concerning the park facilities and heritage can be found via a number of internet sites, including the Plymouth City Council website, but this is not specific to Devonport Park.  Existing local publications are similarly limited and there is consequently limited formal awareness of the park’s history amongst the local community.  

 

Although there are a number of schools and colleges in the immediate vicinity including  Parkside Community Technology College the only known use of the park by students involves the playing fields.

 

Devonport Park Training Centre is based in the historic nursery area and trains horticulture students to NVQ level 1 and 2, often within the Plymouth Work Opportunities programme. The centre is linked to the nearby College of Further Education.

 

The Friends of Devonport Park have received funding from the Devonport Regeneration Company to support their activities, which includes the production of a regular newsletter, particularly important to maintain enthusiasm during the Heritage Lottery Fund application process.

 

Proposals

i. Erect simple entrance signs at all entrances to reinforce the identity and boundary of the park.

ii. At a central location, the proposed café, provide a detailed interpretation panel providing historic information and a space for advertising park events and notices for the Friends of Devonport Park.  Provide further robust interpretation at key locations around the park.

iii. Establish a Friends of Devonport Park website providing up-to-date information, park history, information and contact details for the Friends group, and links to other Devonport and Stoke community websites.  

iv. Engaging local schools in the life and care of the park is of mutual benefit.  Park officers could provide this service to a certain extent, but a wider range of activities including the environment, arts, history and science of the park, targeted specifically at curriculum requirements, would require input from a dedicated Plymouth City Council education officer.

v. The Devonport Park Training Centre provides a good foundation for further training and volunteer programmes linked with the park and the local communities.  Some of the training is not specific to the nature of the site and could be delivered elsewhere.  There will need to be closer coordination between Parks and Social Services to achieve this.  Training should include taster sessions, NVQ level 1 and 2 horticulture, with two apprenticeships linked directly to the park restoration project.

vi. Devonport Park has potential to become a Plymouth Blitz interpretation site, given the excellent outward views of Plymouth, and using surviving wartime features and the striking recollections of local residents.  The latter should be recorded and archived by the Friends of Devonport Park and Plymouth Museum. Links should

be sought with any surviving American veterans stationed in Devonport.   A comparable project has been initiated by Exeter City Council where footage and recollections of the Blitz have been sourced for a special exhibition and permanent collection at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, but a careful and limited reopening of one air raid shelter, accompanied by audio effects and local recollection, would provide a unique experience for local school students.

 

 

5.4 Accessibility and Audience Development

 

History

Paths were surfaced in gravel during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but by 1908 asphalt was introduced creating a hard surfaced area around the Higher Lodge bandstand.  £150 was spent tar-spraying the paths in 1931, and it was probably during this period that the patterned drainage tiles were introduced along path edges, replacing earlier stone channels which still exist in places today.

 

Issues

Existing paths are made up of a number of surfaces, principally tarmac and concrete. The concrete surfaces, many of which are grooved on steep gradients, are generally in good condition. Long sections of some of the paths have become cracked and disturbed by mature tree roots, as well as suffering from potholes, moss growth and subsidence resulting in poor drainage. A simple semi-circular gutter running along some sections of path becomes blocked with leaf litter, and a patterned, textured line of small paving slabs designed to channel water and common to many of the paths in Devonport Park has been poorly covered by resurfacing tarmac in places, leading to poorly-drained path surfaces.

 

The topography of Devonport Park has particular implications for physical access. The northern slopes and New Passage Hill involve paths with steep gradients and stepped entrances.  

 

Park Avenue and Fore Street are the key access routes into Devonport and  are therefore very busy roads.  A pedestrian crossing is available at the Ferry Road/Park Avenue junction, but none has been installed at the southern end of Park Avenue, nor is there a fully safe crossing place from Brickfields to the Fore Street entrance of Devonport Park.  The pedestrian entrance from Devonport via Granby Street is a popular but contorted choice of two narrow paths around Durrant Close, cutting through the park railings.

 

To date, the analysis of park users and their activities has been limited to a questionnaire conducted as part of the Devonport Park Green Space Strategy document, and a one-day pedestrian count. The questionnaire survey identified that the users of the park overwhelmingly come from Devonport and Stoke.  While it is not intended to change this fact, user questionnaires have identified perceptions about safety and security as primary concerns, followed by a need for better public facilities if the park is to meet its full potential. The pedestrian count, conducted on 22 May 2006, revealed that the majority of park-users were entering the park from the southwest and apparently walking through the park to other destinations. The least used access points were those on the western, Devonport side of the park.  

 

 Proposals

i. Retain and regularly clean existing intact grooved concrete surfaces on steeply sloping paths.  Lift damaged surfaces and replace with a fine asphalt surface.

ii. Conduct an access audit of proposals during the design development stage to ensure that limitations of the site are addressed wherever feasible in line with English Heritage guidance.

iii. Reinstate handrail to stepped entrances.

iv. Provide textured interpretation boards, scented plants and clearly defined path edges for visually impaired visitors.

v. Pursue options with the Council highways department to offer safer and more inviting entrances to the park for pedestrians in line with the road safety audit.  Improve the safety of road crossing points, provide a new crossing to Park Avenue on the historic path alignment.

vi. Conduct a more detailed visitor survey, building on the existing preliminary pedestrian count, to provide a more accurate picture of the main park users, circulation routes and demand, to aid more informed decision-making for audience development.

vii. Produce a detailed and monitored Audience Development strategy during the design development stage of the project.  Initiatives proposed under this plan include:

 

 improved perception of public security through the reinstatement of park railings;

 dedication of a park keeper and other parks staff to the site, resulting in a permanent presence rather than a larger roving team;

 improved public facilities and activity within the park, through development of a visible café, and occupation of the lower lodge;

 improved management of ornamental planting, reducing the shady shrubberies;

 the reduction and removal of tempting targets for graffiti, and early performance targets for graffiti removal;

 improved visibility across the park;

 improved lighting;

 an intensive range of Friends activities and public events;

 use of the park for schools education.

 

5.5 Site Furniture and Signage

 

 

History

 

By 1894 a number of seats were located alongside shrubberies and at strategic path junctions, and lamps had been erected along principal walks.  Further iron seating was installed in the late 1890s, and an ornate iron and wooden slat bench appears in a photograph of 1898.  A variety of modern steel and concrete bench and litter bin designs are found in the park today, generally in poor aesthetic condition.

 

Issue

Devonport Park has a range of bench, litter bin, lamp-post, bollard and dog-waste bin designs, as well as a variety of railing patterns. This results in a lack unity in the visual appearance of the park, but also complicates the management of a maintenance regime and detracts from the historic character and significance of the park.

 

Currently, there is one set of poor quality signposts at the centre of the park directing visitors to the bowling green, tennis courts and play area. There are no signs to indicate the name of the park, main entrances and exits, or any of the other facilities or monuments, nor is any signage to the park from routes through Stoke, Devonport or Brickfields. A speed limit traffic sign is in place along the nursing home entrance drive.

 

Proposals

i. Replace existing litter bins with a good quality standard cast metal model, sympathetic with the character of the Victorian park.  The two remaining fluted 1930/1950 concrete bins should be salvaged, restored and relocated to the 1930s Italianate Shelter.

ii. Reinstate robust iron and wooden slat benches, based on the design photographed in the memorial garden in 1898, to the historic locations across the park.  The detail design may need to be trialled on site to ensure robustness and maintenance.  Benches will, in any case, require a high level of maintenance and repair expenditure.

iii. Repaint ironwork and paint signage to a single historically accurate colour, probably green, based on professional scratch testing of surviving railings.

iv. Select a simple, standard street light design for illuminating the main walks which cross the park.

v. Reduce the visual impact of the CCTV posts by painting and, where possible, attach to existing structures.

vi. Replace white steel bollards with the original, historic cast iron design found along the drive to Higher Lodge nursing home.

 

 

5.6 Vandalism and Security

 

History

 

As early as 1897, Devonport Park was subject to vandalism with railings being wilfully broken.  In 1914 local labourers were brought in to assist the Park Keeper with maintenance of order in the daytime.

 

Issues

Between June 2003 and June 2005, 28 offences were reported as taking place in Devonport Park. Considering the urban context of the park, this crime statistic is not excessive, but, the perception of many park users and non-users is that the park is unsafe. The Green Space Strategy cited better lighting and a park warden as the two most important factors that would encourage people to use the park more often.

 

Lighting currently consists of a variety of street lamps.  There are two CCTV cameras, which are monitored from a central control room. There are only one or two members of staff working during the day in the park.

 

While path junctions and other shrubberies are part of the essential design and character of the park, some of these have become overgrown, creating threatening spaces to park users. This issue is heightened by the proximity of the shrubberies to main footpaths.

 

The presence of youths hanging around the park is also considered to be an issue that decreases the sense of security for park users.  

 

Proposals

i. Reinstate the park boundary railings as a major historic feature of the park, but also to delineate the boundary of Devonport Park. This latter point has the potential to increase the sense of moving from the street environment into a public park, with different standards of social conduct.  Highly visible sections should be reinstated or repaired with the original historic railing design; where obscured by undergrowth and along less visible lengths of the boundary, a less costly, simpler alternative is considered to be acceptable.  This strategy reflects some of the early photographic evidence.  Consultation with the police has also welcomed the help that a boundary fence would provide in supervising access into and out of the park.

ii. Increase staff presence, including a full-time Devonport Park Keeper, with a dedicated parks staff allocated to the site.  In the short-term, capital works to restore Devonport Park would increase activity and supervision on the site.  An increased park budget to reflect this and other management proposals listed below is included in appendix 5.

iii. Reduce the perceived risks of the shrubberies by increasing the density of underplanting including prickly species, dramatically pruning back, reshaping and reducing height alongside footpaths, and subsequently intensive maintenance to create a denser mass of lower plants.  Reinstate historic low hoop-top fencing to discourage access, and protect vulnerable trees and shrubs from dogs.   To control costs, use of the hoop-top railing will be limited to the key risk areas (play area, fountain garden, memorial gardens, and central shrubberies).

iv. Ensure shelters and benches are visible and well-lit.

 

5.7  Grassland Management

 

History

Early records indicate that this area of the park was grazed by sheep from before 1828 until, possibly, as late as 1933 when many of the shrubberies were still fenced off.

 

Issues

The existing grassland and lawns, with the exception of the bowling green, are managed on a single regime, gang mown on a fortnightly basis in season, supplemented by strimming of edges, banks and corners.

 

Although the amenity grassland areas are of low ecological value, and management does not accord strictly with the early historic record, it is nevertheless low cost, robust, and appropriate to high levels of public access.  Such work can be carried out by increasingly efficient machinery, although close monitoring is needed to ensure that the subtleties of edges and boundaries are followed in a designed landscape.

 

Proposals

i. Continue to manage largely as at present, with an increased commitment to underdrainage, spiking, feeding, oversowing and decompaction of sports pitches; and to regularly edge beds and borders by hand.

ii. Small lawns around the fountains and bedding areas need to be mown intensively with smaller machines.

iii. Central areas of New Passage Hill, offset two metres from path edges, remain important for outward views, but are less critical for public and events access.  It is therefore proposed to recreate a part of the Glacis character by managing the grassland on a more extensive regime, without cutting between April and mid July each year.  This will allow some wildflowers to re-establish and bloom, bringing a small part of the countryside into the City.

 

5.8  Tree and Shrub Management

 

History

Devoid of trees until the 1850s, small shrubberies were planted by 1867 which included

some ornamental species, as well as oak, Turkey oak, Holm oak, Deodar, and Monkey Puzzle.   Maritime exposure has always been understood in the park, with commemorative planting of a Holm oak and Meyer’s and/or Chalice’s use of Pinus nigra var. Cebennensis, in 1895.

 

Issues

Since about 1980 there appears to have been quite a dramatic rash of tree planting across the park to infill some open spaces and plant irregular avenues along walks.  The impact of this is now being felt with the progressive loss of some views, particularly to the south.  While the shelter from exposure may be welcome in a few instances, much of this planting is entirely at odds with the park’s historic character and designs.

 

Many of the existing shrubberies contain evidence of equally distinctive and well-informed shrub planting, primarily of circa 1895-1907.  Later planting with Cordyline, heathers, New Zealand flax, ash, Monterey cypress, walnut and Norway maple have weakened that character, but there remains extensive evidence of the earlier plantings:  Aucuba, yew, Escallonia, Ligustrum lucidum, L. ovalifolium, Griselinia, Mahonia, holly cultivars, Euonymus japonicus, Olearia macrodonta, Pittosporum, Laburnum, Crataegus x lavallei, Berberis, Philadelphus, Cotoneaster, Viburnum tinus, bay, Deodar, Cornish elm, Prunus ‘Pissardii’ and tamarisk.  As these plants are a significant element in the historic significance of the park, it is not proposed to substitute native plants.

 

Proposals

i. Heavily and progressively thin trees planted since 1970 to infill open spaces and to create irregular avenues along paths where these conflict with the historic record, unless there are overwhelming cultural, wildlife or political reasons for their retention.

ii. Tree works will need to be preceded by an intensive programme of public consultation, talks and walks, to explain proposals.

iii. Shrubberies will need to be carefully pruned or coppiced to allow regrowth, and re-planted to include ornamental plants on the historic records from circa 1895.

 

5.9 Sustainability and Biodiversity

 

Sustainability is, in essence, about ensuring that activities today do not reduce the choices for future generations. The following initiatives in managing Devonport Park seek to improve sustainability:

 

 improve the quality of the local environment, reducing the incentive to travel further afield

 increase the use of cycling to access the park, and to cross the park for trips to school or work

 facilitate the use of public transport to visit the park

 recycle park wastes through composting

 minimise waste arising from visitor facilities

 minimise the use of noxiously treated timbers

 encourage the use of local produce

 use hardy plant stock

 minimise the use of inorganic fertilisers and pesticides

 select long-lasting products for hard landscape features

 adopt energy conservation measures

 wherever feasible, new roof drainage will be fed into water storage tanks for reuse, overflowing to soakaways

 provide education and training on sustainability

 protect and enhance biodiversity

 

Biodiversity is addressed specifically through the grassland management proposals, compliance with the law regarding bird nesting and bat roosts, together with the provision of nest and roost habitats as part of the new building proposals.  Peat is not required for use on the site, and peat-free plant suppliers would be selected.  Herbicide use would be carefully managed, and minimised by the extensive use of mulches produced on site.

 

5.10     Skills Training

 

Devonport Park offers significant potential for heritage and horticultural skills training, including basic horticultural skills; advanced pruning and other horticultural skills; specialist iron-work restoration and conservation; and monument maintenance and conservation.   In particular, the site benefits from the presence of the existing training centre, although at present there are few direct links between the centre and management of the park. Garden and landscape restoration works could be implemented, in part, using a mixture of direct labour, new recruits, trainees, apprentices, and volunteers, working with contractors, supervised by a head Park Keeper and a skilled horticultural technician, capable of providing a full and diverse training for apprentices, with some unmechanised and lower skill tasks for volunteers.  Training for horticultural staff and trainees should reach NVQ level 2 or 3, to care for the high quality bedding and shrubberies on the site.

 

Training expertise will need to be actively sought for in the recruitment and tender processes for staff and contractors.

 

Proposals

i. Develop wide-ranging schemes for training in partnership with the training centre to increase training activity in the park, and ensure that training contributes to the park restoration.  In particular, the park should provide for the full range of skill levels, from school taster sessions to NVQ level 3 apprenticeship.

 

5.11 Volunteer Involvement

 

The restoration of Devonport Park also offers considerable scope for high levels of volunteer involvement. This has the potential to greatly increase the community’s role in the park, and develop a stronger sense of shared ownership and responsibility for its future maintenance.  Volunteer involvement could include:

 light pruning, weeding and deadheading

 bulb planting

 periodic litter removal and clearance to address problem areas

 small tree planting and maintenance

 wildlife surveys

 archaeological investigations and recording

 wildflower enhancement work on New Passage Hill

 volunteer stewards for special events days

 hosting the Friends’ website

 archival research and oral history recording

 

Volunteer activity will need to be subject to a code of practice, coordinated by a dedicated officer.  Volunteer groups could include public, local community groups, schools, business or other partners, special interest groups, or a mix of these, depending on the task.

 

From the park open day questionnaire (4 March 2006), 35 respondents said they would be interested in getting involved with the Friends Group, 17 with helping to maintain the park, 12 with running activities, 11 with planting new areas; 5 were interested in organising events.

 

5.12 New Art and Memorials

 

There is a clear potential for tension between the wishes of individuals and groups to commemorate an event or a personal loss by planting of trees, or the sponsorship of new art works or plaques, with the objective of conserving a designed, historic public park. While it is desirable that parks should reflect the lives of the local communities, the removal of commemorative trees mistakenly planted, and temporary works of art can be time-consuming, sensitive and expensive.  A clear policy should be adopted to avoid future disputes or erosion of the landscape character, based on the following principles:

 

 A public park is not generally a suitable location for private memorials of the type

 found in cemeteries or woodland interment sites.  The park should be, primarily, a place of active enjoyment for the local community.

 New memorials or artworks should not impact on the existing historic, archaeological, aesthetic or ecological values of the park.  

 Sites for new, major significant national memorials may, occasionally, be identified after extensive consultation; these should generally be identified in the restoration plan process, and should add to the park’s values, and not distract from existing values.

 Ephemeral activities, environmental or event art may be encouraged provided it relates to the specific nature of the park, and is removed on completion.

 Memorials may be undertaken as a form of sponsorship for the replanting of trees, provision or replacement of benches or other features only where these would, in any case, be required for the conservation and management of the park as a whole.  This might include, for example, the replanting of the correct tree species to replace a historic specimen lost previously, or the placement of a bench at a designed viewpoint.  Such work should not be guaranteed to be maintained for more than ten years.

 Commemorative plaques attached to such benches should be engraved brass, no larger than 100mm x 50mm, with engraved lettering, painted black.  These plaques may be removed after ten years.

 The sponsorship or commemorative cost of features or artworks should include capital costs, maintenance and cleaning costs for ten years, plus removal costs where appropriate.

 

Devonport Park has very limited capacity for memorial and commemorative tree planting and the historic design of the park should not be compromised. The mature lime trees of the Jubilee Avenue, a feature not part of the original design concept, now block a designed view across Plymouth Sound.  At the end of the safe, natural life of those trees, perhaps in a hundred years, it may then be decided not to replace the avenue.

5.13 Future Research

 

Issue

Devonport Park’s history as a public park has resulted in a large quantity of documentary records. While a major portion has been analysed for the purpose of this report, some work remains, in particular, to assess the complete set of Council minutes for the last 150 years. Furthermore, the significant role of the park for the local community, means that there is a considerable potential for an oral history archive and previously unrecognised private collections of memorabilia.

 

Proposals

i. Further research or archival information should be deposited with the Plymouth and West Devon Record Office, and used to inform design development of this project and future revisions of the Conservation Management Plan.

ii. Volunteer archivists, working under the auspices of the Friends of Devonport Park, should be trained and encouraged to make oral history recordings, and further develop the Devonport Park archives.  Initially work should focus on the Second World War history, as a key part of the park’s unrecorded history, with considerable scope for on-site interpretation and education.

 

AREA-BY-AREA PROPOSALS

 

 

The following section outlines restoration, management and development proposals for individual areas of the site, as subdivided on figure 1.  Proposals are illustrated in the Devonport Park Masterplan, appendix 8.

 

6.1 Napier Fountain and the Memorial Garden

 

 

Outline history: Agricultural fields in the early eighteenth century, Little Barn Park and Upper Way Field; part of the Devonport Lines glacis from 1739.  Modified by the rearrangement of Fore Street around 1817.

 

By 1834 crossed by a footpath, and the land is recorded as part of the Ancient Glebe.   Lower Lodge built 1858 with a substantial cast iron and stone gateway.  Napier Fountain (1863) and Chatham Memorial (c.1859) erected and the surrounding areas planted on a circular, Victorian Italianate theme.  By 1892 the formal bedding of the Napier Fountain garden contrasted with the more Picturesque shrubbery planting of the Galatea Monument (1871), enclosed with a low wall, railings, and hedge in late nineteenth century photographs.  Memorial Garden, similarly enclosed, with a principal circular path, further surfaced areas around the monument, specimen planting and seats outside the northern boundary.    

 

By1907, the northern boundaries of the Napier and Memorial gardens were extended with shrubberies; by 1933 some of the large trees were cleared and later photographs show the Napier garden and the area in front of the Galatea monument laid out with curved formal flower beds and mown lawns.

 

Condition:  Napier Fountain missing original features and derelict, one urn remains from a late twentieth century restoration; surrounding hard standing resurfaced with modern mock granite sets and supporting three modern concrete planting troughs. The Napier Fountain garden as a whole is fenced off by a mixture of nineteenth century iron post and rail fence and modern hoop-top and straight steel designs; 1950s flower-beds grassed over, although retaining mature Cordylines and mixed shrubs.  To the rear, an area of mature trees and shrubs include fine Holm oak.  The Galatea memorial remains in good condition and is surrounded by original iron railings.  Salvaged carved stone, possibly from the Town Hall, displayed on the lawn alongside Fore Street.

 

The Chatham Memorial garden is carefully tended and partly planted with small memorial trees.  The Chatham Memorial is largely intact  but the surrounding planting and rockery has become overgrown.  Nineteenth century gate in post and rail fence at entrance, otherwise enclosed by modern steel railings.  Some granite set surface, tarmac surface and wooden slat benches around memorial.  Empty timber notice board adjacent entrance.

 

The original 1858 entrance gatepiers remain, but the gates and park railings are missing.

 

Proposals

i. Restore the Napier Fountain to conservation standards, to working order.  Reinstate the bowl (currently in storage), and replica spouting cherubs.

ii. Reinstate seasonal lighting by uplighting of the fountain and garden.

iii. Reinstate the formal flower beds and gravel paths as close as possible to the historic layout depicted in figure 12; plant with abundant spring bulbs and summer annuals.  Focus effort on a smaller area than planted in the 1950s, and reinstate the picturesque shrubbery around the Galatea memorial.

iv. Replace the modern fences around the Napier and Memorial Gardens with an interlaced hoop-top railing, and closely clipped hedge or shrubs.

v. Thin the Memorial Garden shrubberies, reinstating the 1907 layout of the hardstanding around the Chatham memorial.  Remove modern hard paving.  Remove dead trees (deodar) and replace key specimens that fail.

vi. Restore and reuse the wooden information board, in this location.

vii. Halt the use of the park for further personal memorials; keep existing plaques tidy and progressively remove any that are not cared for, or by consent of the families concerned, such as by transfer of plaques to restored benches.

viii. Restore the railings either side of the entrance to the park to the ornate cast iron pattern evident in early photographs, with matching vehicular and pedestrian entrance gates.

ix. Reinstate a simple vertical railing design beyond the first section, along the rest of the road frontage, in accordance with the historic records;

x. Carry out minor conservation repairs to the Galatea and Chatham memorials, including reinstatement of lettering.

 

6.2 Nursery

 

 

Outline history:  Upper Way field and Clay Pit Field in 1739, part of the open glacis, shown fenced off from Fore Street in 1784 and 1834. Lower Lodge built in 1858, and enclosed within a small circular garden by late 1860s. Area surrounding the Lodge enclosed by a wall and railings, densely planted with trees and shrubs, and including two glasshouses, cultivation ground and a further building by 1892.  Notable arc of trimmed yew and Araucaria already in place.  Park Nursery first used to identify the area in 1895, marked on Ordnance Survey map by 1907 as a larger area of Nursery, with three additional horticultural structures, and Lower Lodge extended.   Extensive cultivation evident in 1946. Additional horticultural buildings in place by 1966.  

 

Condition:  Lower Lodge, unoccupied and in need of urgent repair; section of nineteenth century post and rail fence outside the Lower Lodge; hedge opposite the Memorial Garden incorporates hidden sections of estate fencing; range of portacabins, sheds, modern greenhouses and hard-standings form the nursery, now the Devonport Park Training Centre, run in conjunction with Plymouth City Council Public Health department; area of lawn, flower bed and some of the trimmed yews around the Lodge intact; Centre enclosed by hedge from the rest of the park and from Fore Street.  Vehicular access via the main park entrance and off the path that runs east of the Memorial Garden, with some car parking outside the site and visible in the park.

 

Proposals

i. Restore the Lodge to conservation standards, to the 1907 form, for use as the park keeper's accommodation, to reinstate its historic role and function, and improve security in the park.  The nature of the Lodge is seriously limited in terms of capacity and accessibility, which would limit alternative uses.

ii. Remove the visually intrusive temporary buildings and car parking along the western and north-western boundary and reinstate this boundary with hoop top railing and shrubberies, to enclose the training centre buildings.  In the longer term, seek to   replace the ad hoc buildings with new split-level facility providing secure teaching accommodation and storage.  The new building should be sustainable, fit-for-purpose, but also of modest cost and robust.  Visual impact will be limited by its more central location, planted screening and low, split-level, profile.  

iii. Maintain the garden area to the lodge for informal seating, with the arc of trimmed yews, and make available for plant sales and outdoor seating by the Training Centre and Friends.

iv. Minimise vehicle access to this area, instructing staff to park off site (on Fore Street),  and restore part of the parking area to park.

v. Improve security for the training centre by the installation of a steel railing fence inside the enclosing shrubbery hedge, with secure gates.

 

6.3 East Park

 

 

Outline history:  Formed from parts of North and South Warden,  Upper Field, Clay Pit, Upper Way and Little Barn Park fields; a large open space of the Glacis, crossed by the Dock leat by 1809; Devonport Lines and trench running along the western boundary.  Crossed by a footpath to Tamar Terrace by 1827 and a second footpath by 1834.   Network of parkland walks laid out by the late 1860s with shrubberies at junctions and a stepped entrance in south-west corner. North east corner entrance from Milne Place formed by 1892, and planted with an enclosed shrubbery; Tamar Terrace forecourt removed and park wall erected; Stopford Place entrance simplified and planted, with seats installed along the southern side, presumably with views of the Lower Lodge and beyond to Mount Wise. Octagonal bandstand, Holm oak avenue and line of young limes shown along the eastern boundary also all in place by 1892.

 

By 1907, the 1895 works are plotted with a new lime tree avenue and the straight paths crossed by curving walks, and with a new entrance in the southeast corner; bandstand converted into a shelter; further planting along Tamar Terrace with additional spur path leading to Acre Place entrance, with solid lines to show fences to protect the putting green and some shrubberies.  Railway tunnel alignment plotted. Tennis courts and pavilion, putting green, war memorial and small shelter south of Stopford Place shrubbery plotted 1933.  Gas Cleansing Centre, hut bases and a water tank shown in 1946; two structures south of Stopford Place and the relocated Putting Green to south of the tennis courts, by 1955.  Tennis pavilion demolished in 1984; Exmouth Road stopped up with car parking and pedestrianised area by 1992.

 

Condition:  East Park characterised by a large number of small and large trees and shrubberies including three tree-lined walks; a heather garden with rockery of recent date; rose beds and mature specimen shrubs around Stopford Place entrance. Tennis court  retaining walls and corners intrusive, pavilion demolished, square open shelter erected to the north, originally with seating that has now been removed; nineteenth century perimeter cast iron railings survive along the western boundary with some sections replaced with modern alternative steel railing.  Wall and entrance posts survive along eastern boundary, partly replaced by a low hoop top railing; Gas Cleansing Centre unoccupied and derelict; visually intrusive electricity connection unit situated close to Acre Place entrance; shelters removed near Stopford Place and foundation slab used as a bench platform; fragment of carved stone located near Fore Street entrance, marked P&Co established 1798.  Most upstanding walls support graffiti.   Several open grass areas extensively planted with young trees.

 

Proposals

i. Thin parkland trees planted recently in this area to restore and retain the open character of the historic designed landscape, and the designed views over Plymouth from the Oval Walk.

ii. Remove shrubberies planted in open lawn areas since 1966 (none having been planted 1907-1966), except the single high quality heather bed which should be restored.

iii. Restore historic areas of ornamental planting around the main path junctions; edge the footpaths with a low hoop-top railing fence; grade the planting from low plants nearest paths, and prune to re-establish shape, size and density.

iv. Remove the base of the Stopford Place park shelter, restore the Stopford Place and Acre Place formal gateway entrances to create a better welcome with clearer path layout, and to exclude parked cars from the gateways.   Restore ornamental planting, and the line of the original park boundary.

v. Remove the modern park shelter north of the tennis courts.

vi. Upgrade the existing tennis courts and fences and hire out for public use.  Chamfer the corners of the tennis court to remove the visually intrusive concrete retaining walls with graffiti.

vii. Prune back and restore ornamental planting in the north-east corner.

viii. Reinstate historic parkland railings along the eastern boundary.

ix. The Gas Cleansing Centre is a magnet for vandalism and graffiti, but is also said to be the best surviving example of its type in the City.   Secure by enclosure with steel vertical railings, clean and repair so that it is available for interpretation, park event storage and suitable low key letting (such as for a model railway club).

x.         Reset the 1907 granite step which impedes access at the south-east corner   entrance, by regrading the surface to the park path.

xi. Retain the original bandstand base, and repair masonry as necessary.

xii. Replace the visually intrusive boulders used to control vehicles in the park by a single automatic barrier at the south-west entrance, so that visitors are controlled by Higher Lodge.

xiii. Decrease the negative visual impact of the electricity connection unit through the use of anti-graffiti paint, shrub planting, or, preferably, negotiation of removal with Western Power.

 

6.4 Sicilian Fountain Garden

 

Outline history:  By 1765, part of Granby Bastion, Devonport Lines.  Incorporated into the park after 1882, certainly by 1892.  Laid out as an oval garden centred around a fountain and circular pool by 1907, and enclosed by a fence. Photographs of circa 1900 confirm the fence to be a low hoop-top railing with an adjacent low hedge, the areas of lawn planted with ornate bedding, and, after 1903, Cordylines and planted, free-standing urns.  The fountain consisted of two concentric pools, the smaller decorated with rusticated stonework and four classical statues. The northern façade of the contemporary Higher Lodge, and the bandstand, formed backdrops to the garden.

 

Condition:  Fountain derelict and overgrown; later ornate urns survive from a late twentieth century restoration; bowl removed.   Perimeter Escallonia hedge, around five feet high, encompassed with modern hoop-top railings; early gate post surviving. Flower beds with some roses, grit area around fountain; garden accessible to the public but disheartening.

 

Proposals

i. Restore the fountain to working order, to the highest conservation standards, based on the photographic record.  Add uplighters.

ii. Reinstate historic circular and S-shaped flower beds; plant with spring bulbs and exuberant summer annuals as shown in circa 1903.

iii. Coppice and weed Escallonia hedge and reinstate hoop-top railing fence and gates.

iv. Reinstate the four footpaths emanating from the central fountain, and surface paths with resin-bonded buff grit in accordance with the distinction visible in the photographic record.

v. Install four benches to encourage quiet public enjoyment.

 

6.5 Play Area and Doris Gun

 

Outline History:  By 1765, part of Granby Bastion, Devonport Lines.  Bastion and most of the Lines demolished in 1882, the smaller Admiralty reservoir fenced off, the boundary planted and the remaining area levelled, grassed over and walks laid out.   A more complex network of paths and shrubberies added in the 1890s, in association with Higher Lodge, the fountain garden and the Jubilee Avenue. Doris gun memorial erected in 1904, surrounding area planted and enclosed with a low fence. Open, hard-surfaced rectangular area to the west of Higher Lodge indicated by 1933, site of New Swings and Giant Stride mentioned in 1931. Large rectangular play area and miniature cycle track laid out in late 1930s, in place by 1946.

 

Condition:  Doris gun intact; separated with play area from main park with hoop-top perimeter fence. Play area equipment popular but of poor visual quality; miniature cycle track survives but rarely used; well-used but poor quality and steeply-ramped, narrow entrance to the park from Durrant Close; some sections of nineteenth century cast iron railings surviving along park boundary.  Lime trees at west end seriously pollarded to improve light for Higher Lodge; mature beech to south edge, with roots lifting the concrete cycle track.

 

Proposals

i. Improve and enlarge the play area within the constraints imposed by the historic design, including the Doris gun, boundary beech trees, oval walk, Sicilian fountain and Jubilee Avenue.  The design brief should be to provide high quality modern play equipment for toddlers and juniors with a robust safety surface, without the use of large panels of primary colours.  Water play is well provided at Mount Wise, with a regional play facility in Central Park.  The priority here is to provide for local children. It may be necessary to find an alternative location for the play area if the existing site proves too constrained for significant improvement.

ii. Reinstate a section of the Jubilee Avenue path to create a western entrance into the play area.

iii. Restore and reinstate the sections of iron railings along the park boundary; add a formal gateway close to the Durrant Close entrance, and lay out a new path which allows the dog-walker to enter the park without crossing the dog-free zone of the play area.

iv. Remove the redundant miniature cycle track to improve growing conditions for the boundary trees, and offset the play area from the nearest neighbours.

v. Carry out conservation work to the Doris gun to the highest standards, reinstating its original 'memorial' colour; replant shrubberies adjacent and reinstate railings to enclose and protect the feature.

 

6.6 Devonport Lines

 

Outline History:  Middle and Upper Middle field until construction of the Marlborough and Granby bastions and the creation of an adjacent trench in the 1750s/60s.  Part of a fenced area of the glacis in the 1780s, termination of the Dock leat by 1809. Site of the Admiralty Reservoir by 1857, but a perimeter path and park boundary following the trench initially; by 1892, fenced off from the rest of the park, the fence cutting off a line of trees and an adjacent park footpath. By 1907, the fence again realigned to allow for the Jubilee avenue, a second fence erected and rough grass lay between the park and the reservoir. A rifle range established in the western trench by 1933. Reservoir and trench filled in, unfenced and operating as a football pitch by 1970.  

 

Condition:   Large section of the Lines surviving, forming the edge of a well-used football pitch; subject to graffiti and supporting a high chain-link fence.

 

Proposals

i. Maintain as a grass football pitch without floodlighting or other visual clutter.  Improve the quality of pitch by regular aeration, drainage and turf care.

ii. Seek protection of the Lines through statutory designation.  Carry out a detailed condition survey and carry out repair and maintenance works arising.  Seek to retain or improve the ballstop fence as this allows the area to continue in its current use, for which there is demand but no alternative location in the park.

iii. Provide basic and robust on-site interpretation of the Lines, Sally Port, Bastions and Barracks in the vicinity.

 

6.7 Oval Walk

 

Outline history:  Farmland in 1739, and later a central part of the Glacis.   Path junction and viewpoint by the late 1860s; crossed with two additional straight walks, also meeting at the viewpoint junction and its seats, by 1892.   Wide oval walk, kidney-shaped shrubberies and a new bandstand added circa 1892.  Bandstand enclosure modified, bowling green, pavilion and First World War memorial added by 1933; bowling pavilion enlarged and wide path laid out south of the bandstand by 1946.  Temporary structures erected during the Second World War.  Bandstand completely removed by 1966.

 

Condition:    Site of bandstand marked with a planted bed; bowling green and modest pavilion in good condition although pavilion lacks changing rooms; basketball net, mini outdoor gym and small football pitches located near bandstand site; isolated kidney shrubberies survive from the 1895 layout.  Recent planting of trees around the Oval weakens the original landscape character.  War Memorial damaged by vandalism.

 

Proposals

i. Heavily thin out the trees planted either side of the Oval walk and other paths as loose avenues.

ii. Restore areas of ornamental planting to the 1895/1907 layout by pruning, thinning and replanting.

iii. Repair and restore the War Memorial to the highest conservation standards.  Provide uplighting, resurface the apron, and reinstate iron railings to discourage misuse.

iv. Relocate basketball net and outdoor gym activity to an alternative, less intrusive site, outwith the park.  Provide for similar use of a multisports site.

v. Replace and redevelop the Bowling Pavilion site to provide the central park facilities including a small café, public lavatories, and shared use meeting and changing rooms.  The design brief should be to avoid interruption of the historic path routes, be set back from the bowling green, retain the specimen pine tree, and allow for separate, public access to the club room, changing room, lavatories and café.  The pine tree root area is to be protected by the use of decking, but the enclosing shrubs have to be removed if the café is to enjoy a southern aspect and encourage public use.  An architectural sketch scheme is attached as appendix 7.

vi. Use the site of the bandstand and adjacent hardstanding to provide an open events space with a shallow paved area equivalent to the bandstand stage, and an outdoor power supply.

 

6.8 North Park

 

Outline history:  Furze fields before 1739, rough grass and gorse, grazed as part of the Glacis.  Crossed by a single footway by 1834.  Laid out with a series of walks by the late 1860s, meeting at a junction planted with a large shrubbery by 1872. Portland and Milne Place entrances planted with trees and shrubs, and a urinal constructed within the shrubbery by 1892.  Additional Lower Milne Place entrance, path junction planting, a new rectangular shelter, the Jubilee Avenue and a three-sided fence (for sport?) added by 1907.  Health centre built in 1930; Second World War temporary structures laid out along paths with evidence of extensive subterranean shelters along the Milne Place boundary.   Park Avenue constructed in 1957 severing one walk and modifying the termination of others.  

 

Condition:   Slopes to Milne Place with scattered modern tree planting.  Central shrubbery now reduced to open-grown trees.   Site of the 1890s rectangular park shelter now a modern concrete and brick construction with graffiti.   Some of the 1895 shrubbery plantings and Jubilee Avenue survive; 1930 health clinic still in use, greatly altered entrance with imposing disabled access ramp; northern boundary railing wall in place, railings removed; building platforms from Second World War works evident on north slope; steep concrete-surfaced paths to Portland and Milne Place.

 

Proposals

i. Retain and thin, over time, young trees on the north slope, as the open character of the historic design is heavily compromised here without important outward views, and extensive changes beyond the park boundary.

ii. Reinstate boundary hedge and fence around the Health Clinic.

iii. Restore ornamental planting either side of the lower Milne Place entrance.

iv. Reinstate the path route which historically linked the northern New Passage Hill entrance with the Oval, and designate as the Torpoint Ferry pedestrian and cycle route as part of the Devonport Regeneration Green Arc.   Create a new controlled pedestrian crossing across Park Avenue.  Zig-zag back to upper Ferry Road entrance to avoid steps.

v. Prune and restore ornamental planting at junctions west of the oval.

vi. Remove the relict of the reconstructed park seat as none of the historic fabric survives.   Better cast iron 'Carron' shelters remain elsewhere in Plymouth and some of the role of this shelter has been superseded by the Italianate shelter, down hill.

vii. Maintain existing grass football pitch north of Jubilee Avenue and improve pitch quality.

viii. Restore railings along the northern boundary with a simpler modern design of the historic railings, as elsewhere in the park.

ix. Investigate the air raid shelter during the development stage of the project to identify the scope for interpretation, in particular targeted at organised group visits.  If feasible, an underground location would be ideal for using oral records and sound effects to interpret the Plymouth Blitz.

 

6.9 New Passage Hill

 

Outline history:  Mostly Pritchard's Furze Field in 1739, glacis and the Marlborough bastion after the erection of the Lines.   New Passage a new road to the dockyard through the far western end of the glacis, built by 1809. Illustrated in 1828 as rough grass, with a mud path and views of the Hamoaze.  Crossed by a triangular network of paths with three entrances to Lower Portland Place, and either end of New Passage Hill road, the most southerly laid out with steps; connecting paths with the rest of the park, by late 1860s.  Northwest entrance and connecting path closed off by 1892 and stepped entrance redesigned with a tripartite staircase and planted with trees, reopened by 1907, with new path leading to the Oval Walk planted at junctions and line of shrubs shown along New Passage Hill. Additional new path and shelter in place by 1955; divided from the rest of Devonport Park with the construction of Park Avenue in 1957, existing walks terminated and rearranged to lead to the Park Avenue/Ferry Road junction.  Jubilee Avenue extended and additional mature trees shown by 1970.  By 1977, the Park Avenue/Ferry Road junction widened and the previously extended shelter path rearranged to emerge further south along Park Avenue.

 

Condition:  The least used area of the park but essential open foreground to views to the west.  Italianate shelter subject to vandalism and graffiti, but robust. Damaged but  surviving sections of nineteenth century park railings along western boundary, modern hoop-top replacement along most of the Ferry Road boundary.  New Passage Hill entrances survive in historic condition although with missing hand-rails and a missing lamp on the southern entrance, marked with a commemorative date plaque for 1858.

 

Proposals

i. Suspend mowing regime to central areas March - mid July, to allow establishment of more species-rich hay-cut grassland with a higher biodiversity value. Continue to regularly mow strips either side of the walks.

ii. Prune, weed and, where necessary, replant the ornamental shrubbery areas.

iii. Restore trees missing from the Jubilee avenue extension, along southern boundary.

iv. Repair shelter and vandalised seating.  Maintain with a clean Italianate finish.

v. Reinstate handrails on the stepped entrances; repair and repaint surviving ironwork.

vi. Repair and restore boundary railings along New Passage Hill.

vii. Maintain open views across trading estate car park to allow views to the surviving Devonport Lines wall, south of the park boundary, and consider acquiring a small area of the eastern end of trading estate car park to reveal the surviving corner of the Devonport Lines as a visible marker of the entrance to the historic dockyard.

viii. Reinstate the severed diagonal path up to the Park Avenue crossing, to link with 6.8iv above.

 

Appendices

Click on the buttons (right) to open files of the various appendices from the above timeline. Some of these files are quite large so may take some time to load.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Park Restoration: Progress of Works

Lighting: the improved and additional lighting will be commissioned soon - watch this space!

Landscaping & fountains: advertisements for tender applications for these works will soon be published on the Devon Wildlife Website with a xmas deadline. Works should begin in January 2010.