The Park Visitor Centre (i) is between the Grove car park and the cafe in the Grove. Open Sundays and first Saturday of each month from 2pm till 4pm. Maps, leaflets, quizzes and drawing materials for children.
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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.
Become a Friend here - buy our book "A History Of Alexandra Park" in our shop
Our activities include:
Organising walks and talks about trees, bats, fungi, moths, insects, birds and the history of Alexandra Park, and conservation work.
Sending a newsletter every month to all our members.
Opening the Park Visitor Centre
All the pictures on the calendar can be seen here.
Over three quarters of the calendars have gone. Get you hand on one of the last 40 calendars.
The calendar will be available for sale at the normal opening hours (11am to 1pm) of the Park Visitor Centre if stocks allow on Sundays, 14th, 21st and 28th December.
Also available at the Parkrun on 13th and 20th December if stocks last.
Conservation Work in the Park
Thursday 11th December from 10:00am to 12:30pm
Cutting back evergreens on the bank overlooking the Railway Orchard in the Grove. Bring gardening gloves if you have them, although we have spares to lend. No special skills needed and refreshments provided.
Meet at the Park Visitor Centre.
For more details email AllyParkN10@gmail.com
Art in the Park
Thursday 11th December from 10:00am to 11:00am
Monthly free art sessions led by Katy Fattuhi.
For more information and to find out the meeting place, email AllyParkN10@gmail.com.
Conservation Work in the Park
Tuesday 20th January from 10:00am to 12:30pm
Bramble control in the Anthill Meadow. Bring gardening gloves if you have them, although we have spares to lend. No special skills needed and refreshments provided.
Meet in the Anthill Meadow, or if you're not sure where that is, please email us at AllyParkN10gmail.com
Art in the Park
Thursday 29th January from 10:00am to 11:00am
Join other park lovers in a relaxed and friendly group to enjoy time spent outdoors, observing nature through drawing, painting or photography. Bring something to sit on and your own materials (though some basics are provided).
The group is free and open to all, whatever your level. Watch out for an email to book in advance, or email [allyparkn10@gmail.com] to find out more.
RECENT EVENTS IN THE PARK
Members' Walk and Social: 6th December
Our walk started in gloom, but with an orange peel fungus that looks just like its name popping up right by the entrance to the Park Visitor Centre (left). We walked up to the terrace with sky getting even darker with the crazy idea of looking at the view. We could just make out St Michael's and St Joseph's in Highgate before another Stephen (September: Flycatcher eating pyracantha berries on our calendar) pointed out that one of the peregrines was sitting on the Palace looking down on us.
Then suddenly it all changed, the bird of prey got easier to see as the skies got brighter and we spotted "The Orbit" in Stratford as well as the tall buildings by the Woodberry Wetlands site.
The sun even briefly came out as some people admired a north London stadium before we marched back to the PVC for our festive celebration (left).
Mince pies from Dunns and Gordon's home made mulled wine were enthusiastically enjoyed and a convivial time was passed by all. Special thanks to Jane for all her preparation.
Stall at the Farmers' Market: 30th November
What a difference a year makes.... Last year a storm coming through forced us to cancel our stall at the Farmers' Market. This year lovely sunshine and 50 calendars sold..... Thanks to all the enthusiastic volunteers.
Art in the Park: 20th November
We based ourselves on the big wooden tables in the East Court again, because although it was sunny, it was just too cold to meet outside.
The return indoors did increase the number of participants, so it was for the best, and we continued where we had left off, with more collaborative drawings of leaves, echoing the building up of leaves on the woodland floor from all the different trees in the park. Sharing drawings, materials and a smaller space inevitably makes sessions like this more social and gives us a good chance to catch up!
Family Art in the Park: 16th November
Autumn Family Art in the Park was buzzing with local families. There was a hive of autumn art-and-crafting going on under the trees in the heart of the Grove. We had clay mushrooms springing up, stick wands appearing, colourful patterned leaves as you’ve never them seen before...
We were overbooked and had to have a waitlist this time – so do book early next time to avoid disappointment!
You can see more pictures (and follow us) on Instagram.
Autumn Fungus Walk: 8th November
The logs near the Park Visitor Centre were blessed with a great selection of fungi: turkeytail (picture by Roslyn Byfield); King Alfred’s cakes (think lumps of coal); jelly ears, which we all enjoyed pinging; a gorgeous cluster of bright orange, glossy winter fungus; artist’s bracket, whose white surface preserves anything drawn on it throughout its growing period; and a brittlestem that changes colour – it’s beige when dry and dark grey when wet. Elsewhere we saw a zoned rosette, quite rare and the first record for the park, and some split gills, thought to be the only fungus with double gills, which only separate and drop spores in damp conditions, thus giving the spores a good head start.
Conservation Work: 28th October and 18th November
This is a report on two work party sessions.
The first was in the Grove: we completed the reduction of the hedge to the west and built up the dead hedge, enclosing the Spinney on two sides but opening up the views to the area planted with bulbs.
The second session was based in the Anthill Meadow, where we seeded the ‘mown’ central sward of the meadow with yellow rattle seeds, to parasitise the grasses and therefore allow flowering plants to flourish. We also removed bramble, self-set saplings and coppiced a clump of blackthorn – all physical work much needed on a chilly morning. We’re trying out a three-year management rotation in the meadow, dividing it into three and concentrating conservation efforts on each section in turn.
Art in the Park: 23rd October
We tried something a bit different this time – a collaborative work. Taking inspiration from the layering of autumn leaves in the park’s woodland, Katy proposed that the group work together by layering our drawings of leaves onto one another’s, so much so it became unclear who had done what... The weather prevented us from being in the actual woodland, but as the park’s fallen leaves are portable, we worked on the big tables in the East Court instead. It was really great fun and we hope to do the same outdoors next month.
Members' Walk: 12th October
The walk started in the Redston Field looking many different galls on oak leaves in the Redston Field as well as a large cluster of moth eggs on another oak leaf (pictured left).
We walked out of field and saw an American thorn tree with the growth of the common hawthorn rootstock which has very different looking leaves.
We continued to the right looking at the trees towards the North View Road entrance. On the way, we spotted a colourful patch of golden scalycap (also pictured).
We walked up the path towards the lower road and were struck by the prodigous growth of Caucasian wingnuts.
To take a new route, we walked through the woodland in an westerly direction looking at mostly trees as we went. After crossing a path, we came to a very large red oak fallen in the woodland before exiting and heading towards the Garden Centre where we finished off by looking at nice example of a zoned rosette fungus at the base of a tree.
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