Spinney Hills is an inner city area of Leicester, England. It is situated to the north of the core Highfields area, around Spinney Hill Park. To the north is Northfields, to the east North Evington, to the west is the railway line, and to the south is the main part of Highfields. It is also a ward of the City of Leicester whose population at the 2011 census was 25,561. [1]
The 34-acre (14 ha) park was laid out in 1885 on a sloping site, to ensure the east side of the expanding town had access to some open parkland. The Town Council had opened Abbey Park in 1882, on the north side of Leicester; converted Victoria Park from a race course 1883; and opened Western Park in 1887, thus in five years, the expanding suburbs on all sides of the town were provided with parks and recreational amenities. [2]
The site was bought by the town from Mr C.S. Burnaby in March 1886 for £18,000. John Burns was responsible for setting out the paths, planting and initial infrastructure, and a formal opening was performed by Mrs Hart, wife of the Mayor, Israel Hart, on 24 August of the same year. [3]
A grant made by the Heritage Lottery Fund allowed substantial improvements to be made to the park, a new infinity garden was laid out, a new reading mound was created, the paths were upgraded, improvements were made to the stream running through the park and improvements were made to the seating and furniture. [3]
In 1982 the area encompassing the whole of the park, plus properties that face onto it was designated as the 'Spinney Hills Park Conservation Area'. [4] The Conservation Area also includes an extension south along Mere Road, and the buildings around the Mere Road/Hartington Road/St Saviours Road junction at the north-west corner. [2] The Conservation area was granted 'Article 4' status in 1983, which requires planning permission for all alterations to houses, such as replacement of windows, doors or re-roofing. The aim of the conservation area is to retain and enhance the distinctive and characteristic attributes of the area, and to avoid unsympathetic alterations. [2]
With the inclusion of the Spinney Hills area within the town boundary in 1892, house building in the area progressed at a great rate. The plots fronting the park commanded a particular status, and the houses were accordingly larger and more varied than those in surrounding streets. It is these properties, mostly built between 1890 and 1910, and their visual relationship to the parkland, that are the particular spur for planning protection. [2]
Beeston is a town in the Borough of Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire, England, it is 3 miles south-west of Nottingham. To its north-east is the University of Nottingham's main campus, University Park. The headquarters of pharmaceutical and retail chemist group Boots are 0.6 miles (1 km) east of the centre of Beeston, on the border with Broxtowe and the City of Nottingham. To the south lie the River Trent and the village of Attenborough, with extensive wetlands.
Oadby and Wigston is a local government district with borough status in Leicestershire, England. It covers the two towns of Oadby, where the council is based, and Wigston, which is the larger town. Both form part of the Leicester urban area, lying south-east of the city.
Evington is an area of Leicester, and electoral ward of the Leicester district, in the ceremonial county of Leicestershire, England. It used to be a small village centred on Main Street and the Anglican church of St Denys but was close enough to Leicester to become one of the outer suburbs in the 1930s. Today, the ward comprises the historical village of Evington, as well as the modern ex-council estates of Rowlatts Hill and Goodwood. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 11,133.
Belgrave is an area, suburb, electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, in the ceremonial county of Leicestershire, England. Belgrave is the location of and known for several notable landmarks such as the National Space Centre, Space Park Leicester, Abbey Pumping Station, the Golden Mile and Belgrave Hall.
Knighton is a residential suburban area of Leicester, England. It situated between Clarendon Park to the north, Stoneygate to the east, Oadby and Wigston to the south and the Saffron Lane estate to the west.
Stoneygate is part of the City of Leicester, England.
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The Parkland Walk is a 3.1-mile (5.0 km) linear green pedestrian and cycle route in London, which follows the course of the railway line that used to run between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace, through Stroud Green, Crouch End, Highgate and Muswell Hill. It is often mistakenly described as 4.5 miles long, but even taking in the gap between the two sections it still only totals 3.1 miles (5.0 km). The route follows the bridges and cuttings of the line, but avoids the closed surface section of Highgate station and its adjoining tunnels, which are closed to walkers for safety reasons. The walk is almost all in Haringey, but a short stretch between Crouch Hill and Crouch End Hill is in Islington and this section incorporates Crouch Hill Park.
Highfields is an inner city area of Leicester, England. It is one of the highest areas in the city, on high ground southeast of the city centre. To the west the area is bounded by the Midland Main Line, to the south by London Road (A6), and to the east by East Park Road. To the north is Spinney Hills, though there is no clear boundary between the two areas, and Spinney Hills is often considered to be part of Highfields. The neighbourhood is within walking distance of the city centre of Leicester and offers many amenities for religious, social, cultural and commercial activities. The population is split between the Spinney Hills, Wycliffe and Stoneygate wards of the Leicester City Council.
Leicester City Centre is Leicester's historical commercial, cultural and transport hub and is home to its central business district. Its inner core is roughly delineated by the A594, Leicester's inner ring road, although the various central campuses of the University of Leicester, De Montfort University and Leicester College are adjacent to the inner ring road and could be considered to be a continuation of the City centre. In a similar way, the Leicester Royal Infirmary precinct, New Walk business district (Southfields), the Welford Road Stadium of Leicester Tigers’ RUFC and the King Power Stadium of Leicester City to the south, and the Golden Mile to the north could also be deemed to be extensions to the central core.
Merry Hill is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands and a ward of Wolverhampton City Council. It is situated in the south-west of the city, bordering South Staffordshire and the Tettenhall Wightwick, Park, Graiseley and Penn wards. It forms part of the Wolverhampton West constituency.
The London Borough of Bexley owns and maintains over 100 parks and open spaces within its boundaries, with a total of 638 hectares. They include small gardens, river and woodland areas, and large parks with many sporting and other facilities.
North Evington is an area, suburb, electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England.
Braunstone is a town and civil parish in the district of Blaby in Leicestershire, England. At the 2011 census the population of the town was 16,850.
Ladywell is a locale in Lewisham in South East London, England, and a ward in the London Borough of Lewisham between Brockley, Crofton Park and Lewisham proper. It has ample green space including Ladywell Fields and Hilly Fields which borders Brockley. Ladywell Village, the main shopping area along Ladywell Road, was given a facelift in 2013 with £800,000 of Transport for London funding. The pavements were widened, short stay bays created to help local businesses and shoppers, and trees were added. Ladywell Village has a range of retail outlets including a number of cafes, a patisserie and a delicatessen.
Moat Community College is a coeducational secondary school in Highfields, near the city centre of Leicester, England.
Westcotes, also known as West End, is an inner city area of Leicester, England, UK and an electoral ward of Leicester City Council. It is located just west of the city centre over the River Soar and south of West Bridge and the old town West Gates. It’s neighbouring districts are Braunstone to the south, and Dane Hills to the west. The main roads in the area are Braunstone Gate, Hinckley Road and Narborough Road. The proximity to De Montfort University makes it a popular student area. The area is quite small in comparison with other areas of the city, but it is well known for its many shops, bars and restaurants and is a popular choice for students and young professionals.
Selly Park is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb of Selly Park is located between the Bristol Road (A38) and the Pershore Road (A441).
Coleman was an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England, consisting of the Leicester suburbs of Crown Hills and North Evington. It was replaced by North Evington ward in 2015.
