Lloyd park redevelopment

Fences knocked down around the moat

When I first moved to Walthamstow, some five years ago now, one of the major persuading factors to choose my current Warner flat was the view. From my lounge windows I look out over Lloyd park, an expansive oasis of green and calm in an otherwise hectic town. Every time I make my way to or from the station (during daylight hours anyway) I wander through the park generally finding something to make me smile, whether it is families enjoying a sunny picnic, kids splashing through the muddy puddles or overly competitive friends taking their tennis game all too seriously.  I love discovering the first set of ducklings paddling around the moat in the springtime, and have to count them each time I walk past to make sure they are all still there and not been snapped up by some crafty fox or enterprising cat from Winns Terrace.

I have known for some time that the park was due to be redeveloped, after the Friends of Lloyd park group secured a substantial lottery funding a few years ago. All the central area around the current changing room gallery will be totally rebuilt, with major changes to the skate park, tennis courts and play areas. In the last week or two, work has finally begun in earnest, with metal fences appearing all around the park. The work is set to continue well into next year, with most of the park closed off apart from access pathways and some of the Aveling field area. I don't think the local residents have quite got used to the idea that most of the park is closed as most of the security fences had been knocked over at the weekend, with people going about their normal business and making themselves at home in supposedly fenced-off areas. I will definately miss my leisurely strolls around the moat for the rest of the summer, but the plans sound very exciting and I can't wait for the re-opening of the new and improved park!

Full details of the redevelopment can be found on the Friends of Lloyd Park website here.

And finally, one of my favourite images of Lloyd park, hastily captured on my phone as I battled through a minor blizzard earlier this year: