Take a walk in Roundhay Park.

A Quiet Word invites you to take part in an audio walk celebrating the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Park to the public. Listen to personal recollections, stories from the past, and hopes for the future.

How it works

All you need to enjoy the walk is a smartphone and a pair of headphones.

There are twenty-six stops marked on this map. Each one corresponds to an audio track numbered below.

You can visit the stops in any order and at your own pace. Visit one or two, or all of them, walking in the park alone, with friends, family, dogs… or sit at home and take a virtual walk.

A Walk in the Park was created as part of Meet you at the Mansion, a site-specific performance event presented in association with Friends of Roundhay Park and Roundhay 150 in September 2022.

Download a pdf map to print at home: COLOUR — BLACK ONLY

Stop 1 ( Download file)

Stop 2 ( Download file)

Stop 3 ( Download file)

Stop 4 ( Download file)

Stop 5 ( Download file)

Stop 6 ( Download file)

Stop 7 ( Download file)

Stop 8 ( Download file)

Stop 9 ( Download file)

Stop 10 ( Download file)

Stop 11 ( Download file)

Stop 12 ( Download file)

Stop 13 ( Download file)

Stop 14 ( Download file)

Stop 15 ( Download file)

Stop 16 ( Download file)

Stop 17 ( Download file)

Stop 18 ( Download file)

Stop 19 ( Download file)

Stop 20 ( Download file)

Stop 21 ( Download file)

Stop 22 ( Download file)

Stop 23 ( Download file)

Stop 24 ( Download file)

Stop 25 ( Download file)

Stop 26 ( Download file)

Credits

Research and Writing Matthew Bellwood, Peter Spafford
Narration Matthew Bellwood, Peter Spafford, Pam Wilson
Historian Rachel Unsworth
Field Recordings Lucy Smickersgill, Peter Spafford
Creative Writing Anne Philip Collins, Belinda Connolly, Mark Hibbert, Jaimes Moran, Gail Mosley, Susie Newham, Debbie Samuel
Additional Writing (stop 26) Ross Horsley
Sound Design and Music Nick Lewis
Graphic Design Amy Levene
With thanks to Chapel FM, Mafwa Theatre
Produced by www.aquietword.co.uk

This project was enabled by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and Arts@Leeds

Meet you at the Mansion?

‘Meet you at the Mansion?’ is a familiar phrase to many people who know and love Roundhay Park in Leeds. You might also have arranged to meet at Barran’s Fountain, Hill 60, or maybe Waterloo Lake? In September 2022, we invited people to meet us at the mansion for a performance walk exploring the past, present and future of the park.

Meet you at the Mansion? was part of the celebrations of the 150 years the park has been open to the public. A Quiet Word contemplated John Barran’s vision of the park as a place of rest and play, and collected memories and current thoughts about the park from local people through writing, film, radio and memories.

There will be an audio walk made available via this website soon – please check back.

As part of the project, A Quiet Word worked with local primary school children to produce the following films about the park.

Blondin’s Visit, 1896.  Beechwood Primary School.

Madonna in Concert, 1987.  Seacroft Grange Primary School.

Children’s Day, 1957. Beechwood Primary School.

With thanks to our funders

Meet you at the Mansion? was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and Arts@Leeds

The Seacroft Tapestry is the culmination of a year of work; a process of collecting and recording stories and experiences of life in the Seacroft area.

The stories come from many different perspectives and have been recorded in film and textiles. Lots of people have been involved and this is an opportunity to share and enjoy the work they have created.

The Tapestry is coming to The Old Seacroft Chapel on York Road and will be in place into the Spring of 2020. The winter months are dark and cold, but we hope to offer some light and warmth. Come along to leave and weave your own story into the Tapestry.

As part of the project we created a short film with members of the local community, which you can watch here:

A series of public events have taken place as part of the exhibition, including screenings of the film and maypole dancing sessions with local schoolchildren and with members of Pyramid of Arts, a local arts organisation that makes work with people with and without a learning disability.

As part of the project, we’ve also been working with Keepmoat Homes to offer local children an insight into new developments in housing in their local area. This has resulted in the creation of a site-specific workshop and performance called Site Visit.

Children taking part in Site Visit are placed ‘in role’ as local building contractors, visiting the site office, a portacabin on South Parkway. Here, they looked at site plans, learnt about the history of housing in the area and found out about how buildings are designed and what different process are involved. Specialists from Keepmoat came to the cabin to talk to them about the work in progress in Seacroft.

Tapestry created together with:
Seacroft Arts and Literature Society; Seacroft Friends and Neighbours; Parents and children at Seacroft Grange and Beechwood Primary Schools; Patients at Seacroft Hospital; Members of Threading Tales at Space 2.

Tapestry designed and coordinated by Hayley Mills-Styles, concept by Alison Andrews and Matthew Bellwood.

Film created together with:
Seacroft Friends and Neighbours; Staff and children at Beechwood Primary School and Seacroft Grange Primary School. Queen Elizabeth II portrayed by Pearl Allen.

Filming and editing by Andy Wood, battle and maypole choreography by Vanessa Grasse, concept by Alison Andrews and Matthew Bellwood.