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Welcome to Alexandra Park
in North London

Alexandra Park is a delightful mixture of informal woodland, open grassland, formal gardens and attractions such as the boating lake, cafés and the pitch-and-putt course. It covers 196 acres around Alexandra Palace in North London.

The Friends of Alexandra Park is a voluntary group that promotes the use of the Park, encourages the conservation of its wildlife and protects the Park from unwanted development. 


Friends Tweets
  • We organise walks and talks about trees, bats, fungi, moths, insects, birds and the history of Alexandra Park. You can also join our work parties.

 

 

  • We run the Park Visitor Centre, where you can find out more about the park; there are also activities for children. In the winter months, we open every Sunday 11 am to 1 pm and also the first Saturday of the month.


2020 Calendars on sale....

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Our Calendars will be on sale for an unchanged price of £8.50.

We have printed 200 and have just 20 left (on 11th December)



Available:

At Syl's Cafe opposite the Victoria Stakes.


At the PGRA Carol Singing at the junction of Crescent Road/Palace Gates Road N22 from 6:45pm on

Wednesday, 11th December.

Before and after the Ally Pally Parkrun (8:45am to 10:00am) on

Saturday 14th December.

At the Park Visitor Centre in The Grove from 11am to 1pm on

Sunday 15th December.


It will also be possible to have calendars delivered in the local area for Cash on Delivery. Email AllyParkN10@gmail.com to request a delivery with optional delivery times.


Consultation on new proposals for introducing Car Parking Charges.


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The Trust is proposing introducing full time car parking charges in the park. 









Interested in planting Trees in the Park?

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TCV BAT South will be planting trees over the next month or so on dates including 28th and 30th November, 11th and 12th December and also in January on the 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th from small whips to quite large trees. For more information and to join them see: https://www.tcv.org.uk/london/biodiversity-action-teams/lambeth-bat-south/

Left is a Quince planted on 27th November near the Redston Field.









Friends Upcoming Events

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In January, we will have joint Tree Planting Day with TCV (8th), a Conservation Work Party (25th) and a talk on Butterflies and Moths (29th). Details will follow before Christmas.















Friends' Recent Events


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We had our annual stall at the Ally Pally Farmers's Market. The weather was quite kind to us with only a splash of rain. We recruited several new members and sold over 30 of our 2020 calendars.

The sellers were fortified by some left over mulled wine and mince pies.

We enjoyed our day at the market, a great asset to the park.





We took our normal seasonal stroll around The Grove hearing about work in the spinney opposite the Park Visitor Centre including a new pond. Also new trees are being planted in the park with help of the Mayor's Fund including a Japanese Red Cedar in The Grove. 

After the short walk, we retired to the Park Visitor Centre for some festive mulled wine and mince pies.




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The intermittent drizzle didn't dissuade a group of Friends from meeting up to show each other some of their favourite places in the Park.

We admired a walk which was special to one Friend and stood and admired views from different places in the Park. A small deviation took us to inspect a memorial tree planted 20 years ago to commemorate a local musician before coming to the balloon tether (picture) where one Friend related her grandmother's experience of stirring liquorice in the old Barretts factory while bothered by wasps.

We touched the Cork Oak below the Palm Court before finishing in The Grove where we compared a painting done by one of our members to the actual view.

Tea and Coffee followed at The Grove Cafe.




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Fifteen of us gathered to continue work in the Butterfly Meadow. A lot more of the top vegetation was removed from the area as well as a little bramble removal and some reduction of the shade in the area.

This time of the year, there was not much flowering except for the odd piece of knapweed, bristly ox-tongue and cat's ear.

A little of the fungi was still around mostly Brittle Gills.

Up in the sky, a sparrow hawk was chased off by a crow and 2 peregrine falcons were seen in the distance.

Reports on previous work parties here.



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We were very lucky to welcome Steve Pocock of the National Park City Foundation to enlighten us on the recent declaration of London as a National Park City and what that means for us.

Steve explained that London is covered by 49.5% Green and Blue and the aim is for the Green alone percentage to increase to 50%.

Surprisingly there is more biodiversity within the urban area than out in the wider countryside.

So what are aims of the National Park City? 
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1) Enjoy London's great outdoors more. 
2) Make London greener, healthier and wilder. 
3) Promote London's identity as a National Park City. 

He gave some great examples of the diversity of London with 300 farms within the area of the London Boroughs.

Steve challenged the audience to imagine "What If?" and could London be better place.

The aims for 2020 being to create National Park City Rangers, enabling Festivals and Gatherings and reach more people and get them to explore the great outdoors.

The overall message was a positive one - of what can be achieved rather than the problems of the past.

There are now copies of the magazine with 12 Ways to Make London Better in the Park Visitor Centre or you can download a copy here.



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We were very lucky that Sylvia Starshine stepped in to lead our Autumn Fungi Walk. We were fully booked and everyone turned up on day with weather that was less than inspiring. We started in gentle drizzle and ended in quite strong rain.

Meeting at the BBC Tower, we walked down onto the South Slope to look at some Stump Puffballs on a dead log. Most puffballs are seen on the ground.

We walked down across the Middle Path and into the woodland. In this area we saw lots of different fungi. We saw a classic Fly Agaric with a relation of it the Blusher nearby. Also seen was a
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Milk Cap with the milky substance obvious on the gills. Large numbers of Deceivers were also seen in this wooded area. What else? Clouded Agarics (left) and the small, common, Candlesnuff fungi. Several Brittlecaps of different were also spread around.

Silvia pointed out the Tripe Fungus growing on dead wood. After a bit of a climb over a large trunk, we were introduced to the Eyelash Fungus and a small group of Lilac Fibrecaps. The highlight was quite an unusual large fungus, the Oak Polypore - ID to be confirmed.

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Into the Butterfly Meadow, we saw another type of puffball (left) and Turkeytail growing on another dead stump. The remains of a Ganoderma resinaceum were seen nearby. Also in the Butterfly Meadow, we encountered Glistening Inkcaps and a Penny Bun that had been partially eaten. There was lastly another fine Fly Agaric to be seen before dropping to the Lower Road. Walking a little way, we then moved up onto the grassy slope where there were large numbers of waxcaps and further on some Sulphur Knights. Our last spot before the rain chased us away were Common Bonnets growing on another piece of dead wood. 

Thanks again to Sylia for leading walk and providing a list (and a lot of pictures) of all the fungi she has seen while researching the walk. 

Putting together a list of what was seen on the walk..., but here is link to photographs of a lot the the fungi seen - with latin names.



The Conservation Volunteers

November 2019

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This is where it gets complicated..... There were actually 2 different TCV groups working in the Park this month. TCV BAT South are working for 3 days and have come over specially to plant trees in the Park and several trees have gone in, a Quince on the border of Redston Field and the old Racecourse and an Elm in the Redston Field (picture left), Indian Horsechestnuts, a Red Maple, a Swamp Cypress, a River Birch as well as several Oaks. They were helped by staff from the Palace - further dates to follow.











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Our usual TCV group, BAT East, have worked for four days in the park this month clearing snowberry and cherry laurel from an area to the Southwest of the Paddock Car Park (above the Farmers' Market location on the Lower Path). Then several medium sized trees were removed from the area and a dead hedge constructed. At the same time a lot of the ivy and bramble was removed from the ground hoping to encourage the reappearance of wild flowers in this area. (picture left)







Dates for December to follow... Meet at 10am. To book or for more information contact David Allen the new BAT East Project Officer, email david.allen@tcv.org.uk or call on Tel: 07917 267 573.

Items which originally appeared on this Home page, may have been moved to other pages, such as  Previous Events in the Park. 

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