The Park, University of Gloucestershire () is a community green space in

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

.Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust online on The Park
/ref> The site is owned and managed by the

University of Gloucestershire The University of Gloucestershire is a public university based in Gloucestershire, England. It is located over five campuses, three in Cheltenham and two in Gloucester. The university is the successor of a large number of merged, name-changed ...

History of The Park Estate

A local solicitor called Thomas Billings purchased the site in 1831 and put plans in train for Gloucestershire Zoological, Botanical and Horticultural Gardens. This was an ambitious project which eventually failed. It is reported that it was to be opened officially on the day of Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838. Elements of the original plans remain which include the ''Elephant Walk'' and the lake which is in the shape of Africa.'Exploring the grounds of The Park – The history and wildlife of this beautiful University of Gloucestershire site', (undated), Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and University of Gloucestershire joint publication'History of The Park Estate', April 2009, University of Gloucestershire/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
/ref> The Park is teardrop shaped and at the point of the teardrop is the building which was to be the entrance to the Gardens, which is called ''Cornerways'' and has a high tower. The original design included a grand promenade and a crescent of villas and was engraved by J. Fisher. The site was sold to architect Samuel Whitfield Daukes in 1839. Dawkes developed The Park as 'pleasure grounds' and designed and had built the villas around it. There are a set of entrance gates which remain from this period, and Fullwood House in the grounds provides a point of interest within the landscape. Daukes also designed a number of other buildings in Cheltenham. A publication provides a graphical image of the teardrop layout, historical information and species information.

Habitat

The site includes grassland meadow, wooded glades, shrubberies, and hedgerows. It has an ornamental lake. The site is relatively secluded and quiet. It attracts a range of fauna and supports interesting flora. There are some 900 trees in The Park which are native and non-native species. This is considered to be a locally unique collection. Some of the trees date back to the early 1800s. They are generally numbered or marked with a small yellow dot. The trees have been obtained from different parts of the world including the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. A publication details and illustrates a range of some 43 trees of interest and lists shrubs.Hickey, M, 1991, 'Trees & Shrubs of The Park', Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Higher Education

Trees and shrubs

The trees include evergreen conifers, deciduous conifers and broad-leaved trees and are detailed in two publications. Evergreen conifers of interest include

common yew ''Taxus baccata'' is a species of evergreen tree in the family Taxaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe and Southern Europe, as well as Northwest Africa, and parts of Southwest Asia.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe'' ...

(planted c. 1831),

giant sequoia ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the la ...

(planted c. 1889),

cedar of Lebanon ''Cedrus libani'', commonly known as cedar of Lebanon, Lebanon cedar, or Lebanese cedar (), is a species of large evergreen conifer in the genus ''Cedrus'', which belongs to the pine family and is native to the mountains of the Eastern Medite ...

(planted c. 1944),

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

s (planted c. 1979),

blue Atlas cedar ''Cedrus atlantica'', the Atlas cedar, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae, native to the Rif and Atlas Mountains of Morocco (Middle Atlas, High Atlas), and to the Tell Atlas in Algeria.Gaussen, H. (1964). Genre ''Cedrus''. Les For ...

(planted c. 1969), and

common oak ''Quercus robur'', the pedunculate oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native to most of Europe and western Asia, and is widely cultivated in other temperate regions. It grows on soils ...

(planted 1839 - 1859). Deciduous conifers of interest include dawn redwoods (planted c. 1989) and

European larch ''Larix decidua'', the European larch, is a species of larch native to the mountains of central Europe, in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains, with small disjunct lowland populations in northern Poland. Its life span has been confirmed to be clos ...

. Broad-leaved trees include the

tulip tree ''Liriodendron'' () is a genus of two species of characteristically large trees, deciduous over most of their populations, in the magnolia family (Magnoliaceae). These trees are widely known by the common name tulip tree or tuliptree for their ...

(planted c. 1964),

false acacia ''Robinia pseudoacacia'', commonly known as black locust, is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree, belonging to the tribe Robinieae of the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to a few small areas of the United States, but it has been widely p ...

or locust tree (planted c. 1869 - 1889),

London plane The London plane, or sometimes hybrid plane, ''Platanus'' × ''hispanica'', is a tree in the genus ''Platanus''. It is often known by the Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Platanus'' × ''acerifolia'', a later name. It is a Hybrid (biology ...

(planted c. 1879) and strawberry tree (planted 1959). Old

hazel Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...

coppice Coppicing is the traditional method in woodland management of cutting down a tree to a tree stump, stump, which in many species encourages new Shoot (botany), shoots to grow from the stump or roots, thus ultimately regrowing the tree. A forest ...

stools exist in some of the shrubs borders.

Flowers

An important species (nationally scarce) found on the site is ivy broomrape. This parasitic plant is already recorded in Gloucestershire in various localities. It grows on

ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern ...

. There are thick areas of 'Irish ivy' within the grounds. Wooded areas and hedgerow areas support hybrid bluebells (''

Hyacinthoides non-scripta ''Hyacinthoides non-scripta'' (formerly ''Endymion non-scriptus'' or ''Scilla non-scripta'') is a bulbous perennial plant found in Atlantic areas from the north-western part of the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles, and also frequently used ...

'' and ''

Hyacinthoides hispanica ''Hyacinthoides hispanica'' ( syn. ''Endymion hispanicus'' or ''Scilla hispanica''), the Spanish bluebell or wood hyacinth, is a spring-flowering bulbous perennial native to the Iberian Peninsula. It is one of around a dozen species in the genus ...

''). The meadow areas support a range of species which include

red campion ''Silene dioica'' ( syn. ''Melandrium rubrum''), known as red campion and red catchfly, is a herbaceous flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Europe and introduced to the Americas. Description It is a biennial or perennial plan ...

, primrose, nettle-leaved bellflower, enchanter's nightshade,

garlic mustard ''Alliaria petiolata'', or garlic mustard, is a biennial flowering plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is native to Europe, western and central Asia, north-western Africa, Morocco, Iberia and the British Isles, north to northern S ...

, hedge woundwort, upright hedge parsley and green alkanet. The car park areas have been constructed of ' grass pavers' and support species such as

yarrow ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Growing to tall, it is characterized by small whitish flowers, a tall stem of fernlike leaves, and a pungent odor. The plan ...

, black medick and wild strawberry.

Bird life

The ornamental lake, with its boathouse, is a focus for birds such as

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

and

geese A goose (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egyp ...

and the

common kingfisher The common kingfisher (''Alcedo atthis''), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of ...

visits the site. The

green woodpecker There are four species of bird named green woodpecker: * European green woodpecker, ''Picus viridis'' * Iberian green woodpecker The Iberian green woodpecker (''Picus sharpei'') is a medium-sized woodpecker endemic to the Iberian peninsula. It wa ...

is a recorded species.

Bats

The grounds and trees of The Park are home to various bat species.

Walks

The community green space has interpretation boards, and defined walking areas for enjoyment of this open parkland with its meadow areas, woodland glades and lake.'New Partnership Launched at University', 21 April 2009, University of Gloucestershire
/ref> A publication supporting exploration of The Park is available online.University of Gloucestershire/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust joint brochure
/ref>

Publications

* Hickey, M, 1991, 'Trees & Shrubs of The Park', Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Higher Education * 'Exploring the grounds of The Park – The history and wildlife of this beautiful University of Gloucestershire site', (undated), Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and University of Gloucestershire joint publication * 'History of The Park Estate', April 2009, University of Gloucestershire/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust * ‘Nature Reserve Guide – discover the wild Gloucestershire on your doorstep’ - 50th Anniversary, January 2011, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

University of Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

University of Gloucestershire/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust joint brochure
Parks and open spaces in Gloucestershire Gardens in Gloucestershire