A sundial was purchased from Halnaby Hall to be placed in the new rose garden. Its inscription attributes it to Inigo Jonescx. Only the plinth now survives.
A formal rose garden was laid out on the west side of the river on what had previously been a derelict site. It was named the Chandler Rose Garden as a tribute to Alderman W.G. Chandler, chairman of the Parks Committee. 800 rose bushes were plantedcviii.
In this section, part of an earlier path with stone steps still survives. It probably originally lay inside the garden of Neasham House (No. 205, Grange Road), which was built sometime around the 1830’s.
A short section of railway track attached to some stone sleepers from the original 1825 Stockton & Darlington Railway were installed as an exhibit near the southern edge of the parkcvii.
Tree Preservation Orders were placed on many trees in the area. South Park was largely excluded from this except for three trees along the southwest edge of the boating (now pitch & putt) areacvi.
Some trees were planted on the west section to commemorate the Festival of Britaincv. Decorative lighting was installed around the bandstand and elsewhere for the event and was retained for a few years after.
Partly due to its lack of use during the war, the boating lake had deteriorated and had now become expensive to maintain. Also, regular dredging operations had to be carried to remove silt. The silt was mainly composed of coal dust and believed to have originated from some
collieries far upstreamcii.
The Council discussed various proposals as to what do with the site. The expense of constructing a new lake, around £30,000, could not be justified. It was realised that if the lake was filled in and the area was to be re-landscaped, it would take at least ten years for the ground to settle before it could be laid out for some other use. In the end, no decision was reachedciii.
Lily ponds were constructed at the centre of the grottoci replacing the large pond. Presumably, these were fed from the same pipe as the previous pond. Some time after, the lily ponds were filled in with soil.
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