The Queens Park Mad House

The workmen at the park have been working like mad men this week. In fact they seem to keep popping up from everywhere. Yesterday the bridge arrived and 24 hours latter its i and the path has been made up to it already. It had been reinforced to take the weight of the crane but by today the path has been remade
Burma Island in last weeks pictures there was no rocks at the cafe side but this week both layers have been put in place and the wall is close to being finished
The wall around the lake was started this week and you can see how much has been done already this week. The wall doesn't go all the way around as some of the lake has a soft edge. So all in all its a mad house with work going great guns and people can see the difference every day. As you can see the conditions are not ideal as there is a lot of water around from the snow which is hampering the work

First Bridge back in the Queens Park

At 10 o'clock today the new sluice bridge was on the back of a lorry from Huddersfield waiting to be list into position at the Tipkinder end of the lake. It took some time to get the crane right but at 1 o'clock the list began
The crane lifted the bridge over our heads and swung it around into position. We were all surprised at the size of the bridge as it seemed a lot bigger than we had thought
By 1:30 it was in place and the finaly fixing was being done
This was the first of the bridges which should have come in December but due to the snow and ice had to be put back. As a result of that they now intend to get the next 3 bridges in in the next few weeks and they will be trying to do the three at once. Todays bridge is the small one so getting the other on site and in place should be a spectacular show.

It was noticeable today that work was progressing at an alarming rate with work men everywhere, Burma island stone work had none at the front last week but yesterday they had the bottom layer in and today the next layer was going on. Watch this page as we will be reporting weekly as things happen

This week at Queens Park

The lake has only just unfrozen after the snow an ice and work is hampered by very wet conditions. The work on Burma Island has continued and they are close to finishing the surrounding structure


On Broadwalk the new footings for the bridge support is now in and the bridges shouldnt be to long now with the first on expected next week

Arrival of First Bridge into Queens Park

Arrival of First Bridge into Queens Park
Media Invite - Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 10am
The first in a series of landmark bridges will be installed at Crewe’s Queens Park next week, when the region’s press is invited to record this historic moment.
Queens Park, the only formal park in Crewe, is more than 130 years old and is currently undergoing a £6.5 million pound restoration, thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Altogether the 45-acre park will eventually house five bridges, the first of which is Tipkinder Bridge over the inlet at the entrance to the park.
It’s the smallest of the five bridges at 7.3 metres in length and is made from timber and steel.
The most impressive structure will be Broadwalk Bridge, which will be 40 metres in length and will be unveiled later on this year.
Councillor Andrew Knowles, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Parks, said: “The installation of Tipkinder Bridge marks the beginnings of a new chapter in the history of Queens Park.
“Since the 1870s, this wonderful public amenity – handed to the people of Crewe by the London and North Western Railway Company - has brought enjoyment to generations of Crewe families, and will continue to do so with a modern twist on the traditional Victorian park.”
Works:
To allow these extensive works to be carried out, around two thirds of the park have been closed off to the public, but it’s hoped that three quarters of the park will have been re-opened by the end of the year.
Other works in the pipeline include a planning application for replacement buildings, the largest of which is the new pavilion to replace the Jubilee Cafeteria built in the 1970s.

Modern in design, it will be made out of sandstone and glass to give customers impressive views over the park’s grand grounds.

Planning permission for a new bowling pavilion is currently under-way and designers are in talks with the Queens Park Bowling Club to get the best facility possible. Both buildings will have newly refurbished public toilets.

Derek Morgan, Chairman of the Friends of Queens Park Group, said, “Things will start to move very quickly during the Spring and Summer months. People will start to see a real difference as the Park is brought back to its former glory”.

The East and West lodges will also be improved and up-dated and there are plans for a “Memorabilia Lounge” at the West lodge.

Councillor Roy Cartlidge, of the Crewe West Ward, who has supported the project throughout, added: “The installation of the main bridges will be a significant part of the Park’s history and are intended to last the next hundred years and beyond. “


Filming, radio, photographic and interview opportunities available by contacting:

Beverley Walkden
Media Relations
Cheshire East Council
01270 686 585 / 07533 873 778
Beverley.walkden@cheshireeast.gov.uk

New Pavilion Design

The new pavilion design is finalized and presented here. Work will start around easter time on the new pavilion which is highly energy efficient and can be divided into areas so it can be used for small groups
It is designed to mimic the main entrance which has a lodge each side and the tower in the middle. The pavilion has the same two structures and the war memorial in the middle. Being mostly glass it will give a great view through it onto the lake
The Boer war statue will be restored and the base will be dug out as the original footing are still there. This will mean people can then read the names of the fallen.

What is interesting is there will be guns brought back like the original inn the picture above. But it will be interesting to see what we get the was a lot of controversial talk about the guns as at the time the guns used were not the type used in the Boer war and a lot of complaints were voiced at the time. So will we get Boer war guns or just old ones we will ask at the next meeting

Duck

I spotted the ducks in the snow and this one caught my eye its not our normal duck we get in the park. It looks like some sort of wood duck can anyone tell us what it is and is it rare in the Park?

We have found out
The Duck is a Male Mandarin. Not all that rare but very nice to have in an urban park and not very often in this part of the world

Weather delays new bridge

The bandstand looking good in the snow

The first new bridge should have arrived today but it had to be called off due to the weather. The park like the rest of Crewe is covered in snow and very slippery in places so it wasnt safe to work on the bridge. Its hopped it will be installed next week if the weather improves
The lake is frozen over but the ducks have found there own little pond and being fed by visitor
Another view of the frozen lake
The main entrance to the park under snow