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Map of Roundhay Park Leeds
Situated on the Western boundary of the park, the former 19th century kitchen, fruit and ornamental gardens of the Nicholson family were once only separated from the main grounds by a pathway. Today the alignment of this pathway forms the main highway of Princes Avenue.

Set away from the main focus of the house and pleasure gardens, in line with early 19th century landscape design, Nicholson laid out a walled kitchen garden, which produced year round fruit, vegetables and flowers for the mansion.

With the advent of public access to the estate, the existing greenhouses were developed into an extensive glass development which was opened throughout the year as a series of twelve show houses, the principle being the Coronation House. This elegant glasshouse, similar in style to the mansion conservatory, contained attractive exotic plant displays set amongst running brooks and ornamental ponds. While the productive grounds of the kitchen garden outside gave way to a more formal rose garden, which in 1901 was planted with a well-selected stock of Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.


Colourful herbaceous borders flanked the garden walls, which also provided shelter and support for many other plants such as Cystisus Battandieri, varieties of Wisteria, Garrya, Forsythia, Hedera, together with Quince, Magnolia Grandiflora and vanilla scented Azara Microphylla. Indeed, horticulturally these gardens have always been exemplary, and in The Gardeners’ Chronicle article dated as early as 1904, the newly laid out gardens were described "as a chief centre of interest, which cannot fail to command the appreciation of the public".

For a short period during the war years the grounds reverted back to vegetable production like many other areas within the estate, as part of Roundhays contribution to the ‘Dig for Victory Campaign’. With the expansion of the Coronation House into the nationally renowned ‘Tropical World’, which opened to the paying public in 1983, the Grade II, former Park Manager’s Office was converted into a tea shop, and the raised area immediately around the conservatory on the site of the original hot houses, was redesigned to include a paved area with planters, stepped water feature, pool and pergola.

Today this early 20th century, municipal style rose garden, remains highly popular with the public as a place for quiet relaxation.

VR Panoramic Photography © Red Door VR Limited.

Panoramic view of Ornamental Gardens - Coronation Garden. published: 26/06/2008 17:41:44 File Size: 995.7 KB

Virtual Tour produced with Photographic Hardware and Software supplied by Red Door VR Limited, UK

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