Rineys, the Council’s contractors who will be carrying out the works on Arnold Circus, will be taking some soil samples in the gardens on Monday 9th November. They will be digging two small holes to a maximum depth of 70cm in two places – one on the top tier near the perimeter railings and one in one of the lower planting beds – to confirm the soil satisfies the Council’s health and safety requirements. The holes will be covered up immediately afterwards.

LDA Design have developed detailed planting proposals based on discussions with local gardeners. Please write any comments about the plans below on the blog, or email to finnwilliams@hotmail.com. All comments will be relayed to the designers on Wednesday 18th November.

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Planting Plan

Please click on the link to view a PDF copy of the minutes for the October Trustees meeting.

October 2009 minutes

SUNDAY 11TH.  1.30-5.00  3 1/2HRS.

There will be not too much to do with the plants this autumn as  have already cut back most of the of dead flowers. The main job will be clearing the leaves when they get too much or they will smother the smaller plants.

The other big job will be removing some of plants before the renovation work starts, during which the beds will be completely dug over and most remaining plants lost. We plan to keep what plants are worth saving and can be safely moved ( and have room for storing),  for possible  replanting once the work is complete – depending on whether appropriate and there is space.  I have been collecting seeds from most plants.

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There is a wonderful carpet mosaic installed inside bandstand.

Things look pretty good, not many flowers but things looking green after recent rain. Bulbs are growing.

Cleared litter. Quite a few bottles & cans on beds. Several dogpoos on surfaces and beds but not a lot.

Then with Patrick, cleared all the masses of leaves from the paths etc. where they had built up against the railings, also sweeping up fag ends etc. as well as the leaves around the bandstand railings. (Don’t think Fountains have cleared the leaves yet this year).

 SUNDAY 18TH. 1.30-5.00  3 1/2HRS.

The carpet in bandstand still there and looking wonderful. Maybe that’s the solution to stop litter etc. in it – have it carpeted!

 The beds are looking green, especially upper S.E. where things are growing back after  all the clearing done there by the Council. Some Musk Mallow and Cyclamen are still in flower.

 I cleared litter, mainly bottles and cans from the beds, but also all the litter around the surrounding pavement. Although not gardening, it all helps to make the Circus a nice place to be.  Found just one dogturd this week – maybe an all time low.

 With Jean & Patrick and help from Peter and Robin, we moved Jean’s big tin planters into position on the estate and partially filled with rubble, sand and soil, ready for moving some plants from the Circus to, for storing during renovation.

With Patrick, cleared leaves from some areas where they have been building up covering the plants on the beds.

SUNDAY 25TH.  11.00-11.30 & 1.30-4.00  3HRS

Bagged up & brought 8 bags soil from a garden I saw was being excavated & with help from Jean & Peter put it in planters.

 The carpet gone from bandstand – that’s a pity as it brightened it up and everybody liked it.

 Jean collected litter. I collected up dogpoos from paths & beds, also a  nasty human one from the path. Also swept up in Bandstand, broken glass etc.

 Patrick clipped  shrubs lower SE and collected some leaves, I cut back flowers & collected seeds.

Some Musk Mallow still in flower. The light can look good through the grasses and other plants at this time of year.

The twisted trunk Cotoneasters will soon be going. Things will look different after the renovation, but could look really good.

Go and take a look at the windows of 25 Calvert Avenue. We spent this morning sweeping it out and washing its windows,

and then putting up information, pictures and poems about the changes around Arnold Circus. You can trace how the area has changed from the 1700s up till now in the windows.  We’ll do our best to keep it up to date, to keep you up to date with what’s planned.

Here’s your private view of the carpet.                          

It’s due to fly away again on Sunday night.

Tim Mitchell and the Trolley Gallery have an installation up right now in the bandstand that he calls  ‘We Shall Meet on that Beautiful Shore’.

This is what the Gallery says about it:
For this temporary installation at Arnold Circus, lasting until the end of the Zoo Art Fair, Mitchell introduces the idea of a crop circle appearing over night, using off-cuts from carpet in a geometric and concentric arrangement. In developing a chosen design two approaches were developed. First was to mirror the geometry and structure of the roof of the Bandstand, so dealing with the architecture itself as a starting point. The second approach will be to take the crop circle as a literal point of departure, developing a pattern based on the same rules applied when making a crop circle, such as the use of overlapping curves.

The use of carpet keeps it within the realms of the dwelling. The bandstand is believed to sit on the rubble from the tenements of the cleared slum of the Old Nichol estate. The slum clearance was an early hint at gentrification with only a very small number of inhabitants being able to return to the estate post development due to the high rents.

It’s there till the 19th, so go and have a look and experience it, and see what you think.

Please click on the  link to see the minutes (in acrobat PDF format) held on the 24th September 2009.

September 2009 Minutes (you must have Acrobat Reader to view this file).

LDA Design submitted an application for listed building consent for works to Arnold Circus last week. The application can be viewed in detail here.

LDA Design are asking for feedback on their initial proposals for planting on Arnold Circus. Please write any comments or suggestions on the blog, or email to finnwilliams@hotmail.com. All comments will be relayed to the designers on Wednesday 23rd September.

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Planting Types & Issues

Formal Planting Sketch Option

Informal Planting Sketch Option