DEVELOPMENT OF RESERVES

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27312, 31 March 1954, Page 3

DEVELOPMENT OF RESERVES

INSPECTION BY COUNCILLORS

VARIETY OF PROJECTS PROPOSED i of pounds are involved in the ChStchi°ch Ci“ PMks U anS r - he devel °P m ent of its parKs and reserves. Much of the Soun’ri WUI ° e spent on children’s play.equipment and parks being formed in new housing areas but the improvement of existing gardens and included 1611 * ° f ° ld buUdln 8 s are aiso f „'£° exami ne Progress and determine wmf . the reserves committee, with other interested councillors, yesk e ° an a two-day inspection in the southe rn parts of Christchurch were covered. Today a northern tour will be made. “And even *„®P w ® wi y Jj ave ordy scratched the ace ’,,“ ud the chairman of the committee (Miss M. B. Howard, M.P.) “It would take more than a week to cover the lot. The party was out for seven hours yesterday. The Christchurch parks and reserves nX ai - tmeirt now controls , mote than youu acres, including forestry and farm Snnn ertles ’ ut there are still more than zuuu acres of scenic reserves, gardens, and parks. Dozens were simply passed by car yesterday, but a lot were covfoot. At all stages officers of the department gave careful explans development and planning. The Botanic Gardens were' visited nrst, and the choice of a site for a sun dial bequeathed by Mi* Thomas btevenson received most attention. One site suggested was at the junction of several broad walks in front of the McDougall Art Gallery. Another was °R_ *“ e . *P^ ne mound’* nearby on the other ’ side of the Eveleyn Couzens memorial gateway. “The pines will have to go,” said th® Director of Parks and Reserves (Mr M. Barnett). “I expect they would last until I retire in two or three years, but are more than 80’years old—probably the oldest trees in the gardens - and they are becoming unsafe. I simply give warning that they will soon have to be felled, although this spot is a favourite.” The third site for the sun dial inspected was in the centre of the present round pool in the rose gardens. “This has never been a success in spite of all our adaptations,” Mr Barnett said. Most councillors seemed to prefer this site as being open to the sun and an appropriate settirig. There was some comment, however, that sun dials were becoming too common. Townend House The Townend house in the gardens has been -condemned and councillors saw the decay in main structural members. It will be replaced with a long new house running across to make a T with the Cuningham house. Besides the hot-house subjects now in the Townend house it will take the cacti collections which are now housed out of public view. On the slope between these glasshouses and the river there will be a new fernery. This will cost about £lOOO. A bequest has been made by Mr J. Foster.

The old glasshouse in the propagating Hi vision will be replaced and a new director’s office and library constructed. Rotten wood showered down as a councillor kicked the existing buildings. The valuable book collections so inadequately housed were shown to councillors, some of whom suggested that a small annual grant should be made to write the impressive history of the reserves department. In the woodlands area Miss Howard and Mr Barnett remarked that the band rotunda was not greatly used and it might easily be converted into an open-air theatre. Seldom visited by the public is the new rose species garden just behind the nurses’ home. Here are wild roses from all parts of the world, some of them still bright with flowers, but the best feattire at present is the brilliant out-size hips on novel varieties.

Tree-lined Streets Spreydon area parks were next visited. Driving through tree-lined streets with wide grass verges, Mr Barnett asked that new streets should be of sufficient width for such landscaping. Yet another aspect of reserves work was seen in the council's Andrew’s crescent settlement where grounds are being prepared for gardens. “Our homes are just lovely. You just can’t realise how grateful we are,” two women said. In Glen terrace similar improvements are being made on a reserve set aside in a State housing block. Renovations in the recently-burnt Coronation hall has just been completed in the Spreydon Domain. In Somerfield children’s park (no organised sports are played) the Somerfield Community Centre had meetings in ssession early in the morning. There were discussions on alternative schemes for extending the pre-school children’s department. Then the party saw the levelling and extension of the large Centennial park, farthest to the south-west, and other reserves. Sign of the Kiwi A transformation has taken place at the Sign of the Kiwi. Two years ago an inspecting council group was appalled by the vandalism of unoccupied premises here and at the Sign of the Bellbird. The Sign of the Kiwi has now been made a home for a reserves department officer supervising hillside properties and a shop for light refreshments has been established in the portico. The paths outside have been reformed, terrace gardens planted, and the whole building restored. Electricity is being installed, but water has not yet been brought up from Victoria Park. Lack of these provisions has prevented reopening of the tea-rooms because of health regulations. . “One of the finest views of Christchurch” (a new one), is how Mr Barnett described a look-out being formed on a knob at the lower end of Victoria Park. Old trees are being felled to give an unimpeded view as far as the eye can see over Canterbury. It has been suggested that here should be set up a permanent diagram to identify for visitors all the peaks of the Southern Alps. This knob still has signs that it was a quarry before William Rolleston set it aside for scenic purposes. . The great slopes to the east, mostly of native trees, showed the progress in 25 years. Within the park proper old pines are being removed, making place for more decorative plantings. Netting barriers above the park protect specimen trees of a new block to contain all the conifers near the 19th Battalion memorial. The reserves above the road to the Kiwi and beldw Victoria Park (in the new Elizabeth Park) have trees and shrubs now above grass level so that soon the whole hillside from the Sign of the Takahe to the Sign of the Kiwi will be bush-clad. Beckenham Park, with children from the adjoining school at games; St. Martin’s Park, with croquet in progress beside gay flower beds; Waltham Park, where soil is being stock-piled to fill a subsidence; and Risingholme. Park, with the new workshops and pottery buildings of the community centre, were among the reserves visited in the afternoon.

Kiver Fence at Radley Along the Heathcote river at Radley the committee saw the scores of curved iron posts placed last week-end by residents for the protection of children. Where Cumnor terrace joins Isis street, a large riverside reserve is also being levelled and sown. In Woolston Park the prolonged job of installing a stormwater sewer was inspected.

Municipal Nurseries Yesterday’s itinerary ended with am hour’s visit to the municipal nurseries in Linwood avenue, which serve all the public gardens and reserves of Christchurch. One huge expanse of 30,000 wallflower, soon to be distributed for spring-time displays, showed the magnitude of, the undertaking. Some borders were still bright with flowers grown originally for Royal visit decorations. In the row upon row of street trees and other specimens there were many new varieties chosen by Mr Barnett when he was in England. One was a red chestnut and another an oak growing like aJ^ poplar. O> a big stand of English beech Mr Barnett said: “They’re just waiting for Burnside road and they can t wfit much longer.” There was a block of native plants for Kennedy s Bush. The propagating houses, full of fuchsias, cyclamen, and foliage plants, were a< Nursury stafl were busy wrenching

trees for forestry. “You don’t need much rocking at night after that job,” Mr Barnett said. “Neither will we after this inspection,” replied Miss Howard.