The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1901-10-12

seine Of the Modern Public Gardens
and Fairgrounds In the Eng
lish Capital.

About the year 1870 the need for
gardens and Fairgrounds in the crowd
ed districts of London was becoming
very urgent. The churchyards and
burial grounds had been closed for in
terments for nearly 20 years. Over
100 had been built upon, but more than
300 remained, and it was felt that these
grounds, at any rate, might be made OF
some use, says the Humanitarian.
During the next few years the move
ment for converting the closed grave
yards into open gardens gradually
made progress, and there is one gar
den in London, the churchyard OF st.
George's-in-the-Ea which has been
in daily use for upward of rs years.
Toward the close of 1882 efforts were
made to gather together those who
were interested in open space and to
collect funds for dealing in a larger
and more concentrated manner with
the provision of breathing grounds in
London. This was the beginning of the
Metropolitan Public Gardens associa-
ton.
The association has carried through
over 400 successful undertakings, in
GLIDING the entire or partial laying out
of 125 recreation grounds in London.
It has placed thousands Of seats in
public sites and planted thousands OF
trees. 1t has given grants to 30 gym
nasia, has erected about so drinking
| or ornamental fountains, has pro-
NOTED schemes for acquiring large
open spaces on every side OF the me-
| tropolis, most of which schemes in
volved the collection of many thou
sand pounds; has promoted and OPP
posed bills in parliament, and is rec
! ognized as the chief center for the diff
fusion of information relating to open
space matters by the public press, and
by the public bodies in London, in the
provinces, on the continent and in the
colonies.
4 There are now in London and its i'm
mediate neighborhood 800 public rec
reation grounds, varying in size from
Epping forest, which, with Wanstead
! flats, is over 5000 acres in extent, te
little city gardens and Fairgrounds
measuring an eighth or tenth OF ar
acre. These include 100 plots Of
ground, which have been used for in
terment, parish churchyards and Other
disused burial grounds, of which thu
largest is II acres and the smallest {
few yards square. Among the recrea
ton grounds are shady and well-kep
gardens, with seats, flower beds ant
fountains; public Fairgrounds fol
children, provided with gymnastic ap
paratus, giants strides, swings, bars
etc.; richly timbered private parks AM
estates that have been presented to o
bought for the people; portions of tn
marsh lands and lammas lands of Eas
London, which form such valuable
grounds for football and cricket; littl
! resting places under the shadow of tn
city churches, and vacant plots of Ian,
in odd corners of the metropolis whicl
have been turned into recreation
grounds, instead of being used as build
ing sites or builders yards. There j
not a suggestion for identifying tn
London streets or adding to the ope
spaces which is too small to be wort
taking up, while no scheme yet put for
ward is so large that it can be consid
cred to overstep the need for breath
ing space or fresh air which is increas
ingly felt by the dwellers in our ever
growing metropolis, where the build
ers, at any rate, never cease their az
tivity.