Royal Oak Car Park Garden
Ask even Rothley residents about this small garden and you are asked 'where is that?' It has its boundary on North Street and approached by the steps into the car park. From Cross Green the entrance is beside the Royal Oak which owns the front part to the left but the remainder belongs to Charnwood Borough Council. It is locally known as 'The Royal Oak car park'.
This small garden was in a terrible state before Anita, Richard and Marion decided to make it another of their projects to improve the village. It was a dumping ground for cans and bottles with someone very keen on Vodka using it for a bottle bank. Added to this was a complete TV aerial and general rubbish that had accumulated over many years.
This was a garden so overgrown with ivy that the last car parking space could not be seen for the vegetation. This was a project that would not only improve a 'grot spot' but would make it so much more pleasant for people especially when parking their cars in the darker evenings.
Work started in February 2010, a lavender border from seedlings planted in early summer and bulbs were planted in autumn 2010.
There is a granite wall underneath the vegetation
A car parking space is partly hidden by vegetation
Cascading into North Street
The lovely granite wall is slowly revealed.
Brenda and Richard cutting and bagging
Revealing more of the granite wall
A regular visitor as we worked on the site.
The steps down into North Street at the far end of the granite wall.
Looking better
Richard tackling some very tough ivy. April 2010
The additional car parking space now revealed. April 2010
The wall fronting North Street. April 2010
Anita planting a Golden Yew. July 2010
We filled buckets with rubbish for re-cycling
Sacks and sacks of vegetation
Loaded into Marion's car every week ready for the journey to the Green Waste bins at the tip.
In April 2011 looking so different. People parking cars were delighted with the work that had been done and felt so much safer when using the car park especially when it was dark.
The additional space our work created has been well used. April 2011
Remember the ivy on the house wall above? Someone very kindly stripped it off in January 2012 and left it piled up with no intention of moving it. Another grot spot created with no consideration to the hard work that had been carried out to create the garden.
The mass of ivy is much bigger than you think when you come to move it! Four visits to the tip were needed to shift this. We hope that it makes someone feel guilty having left this to two ladies to clear. March 2012
With thanks to everyone who helped to transform this garden,especially Anita, Richard and Steve. Thanks to Brenda for her additional help and for supplying the cans of water to keep the new planting nourished during the summer. Finally, thanks to Vicky for coffee and biscuits every Friday morning; that tray was a very welcome sight giving us a much needed break from ivy and brambles!
Thank you all for the support to my 'grot spots' projects.
Marion