Monthly Archives: November 2021

CHRISTMAS SPARKLE AND FUN

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As the darkness and cold gathers for December, we want to light up the Park with sparkle and fun to anticipate and celebrate the Christmas Season.

Park Displays

We’ll again be lighting up different areas of the Park which will be done by different groups of Friends to different Christmas themes. Starting with the Advent Tree and Crooklands Orchard to welcome the season, there will then be a big burst of light at 3pm on 12th December to start the Lantern Parade and launch the Christmas Tree Trail.

The Farm Gate display will also be part of the ‘Yarns Well Spun’ Leeds 2023 art project, the Crooklands Orchard display will be part of a traditional wassail.

Coundown To Christmas – Your Park Decorations – 1st – 25th December

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ORCHARD NOW PROTECTED BY THE GUISELEY DRAGON

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The dragon has been important in Northern European cultures for millenia; as seen in artefacts, poems and sagas. Its symbolism is complex but includes courage, watchfulness and protection – dragons can be good, or bad.

Iron Age Britons, Anglo Saxons and Vikings all used zoomorphism (or animal symbolism) to describe many things from humans to the mood of the sea. The Vikings had their dragon ships, the Welsh still have a dragon on their flag* and the Anglo Saxon burial at Sutton Hoo ( 625 AD) is famous for its dragon helmet. The British King Arthur was the son of Uther Pendragon, whilst the Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf tells of heroic dragon slaying. Modern stories that draw on earlier folklore also have their dragons from The Hobbit, to Harry Potter.

Sutton Hoo Helmet with the dragon forming the nose, eyebrows and moustache.

In Guiseley, we too have a dragon: you can find it on part of a 9th century, early medieval cross, now in St Oswalds. This motif has also been carved on the stone at Guiseley Wells when it was restored at the Millennium as a Heritage Lottery project. Now, given what we know about the history of the land which is now Parkinson’s Park, we have a Guiseley dragon protecting our Orchard, based on an Anglo Saxon drawing.

* Our area used to be part of the British Kingdom of Elmet 470 – 617 AD – it was closely allied with the Kingdom of Gwynedd. At the end of the 5th century Elmet had a King called Arthuis ap Masgwid he was likely named after the slightly earlier High King of Britain King Arthur, of legend fame.

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PARKINSON’S PARK REMEMBERS

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This year, 2021, is the 100th Anniversary of the founding of The Royal British Legion, set up to help members of the Armed Forces and their families after World War I – a task they continue to do. The Guiseley Branch was set up in 2022, and so will have their anniversary next year.

To commemorate Armistice Day we have 100 poppies on the poppy blanket on the Park’s Farm Gate which have been done by a variety of Friends. You are welcome to add your own at any time. (We will keep all the poppies and gradually cover the whole gate over the years.) All donations will go to the RBL.

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We’ve Been Chosen for the Guiseley Co-op Community Fund for our Willow Walk Project.

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The bottom of the Park is wet with several spring emanating from the hillside. In this area is a good bank of willow trees some of the quite characterful, as well as traditional woodland edge shrubs such as rowans, blackthorns and hazel. In an amongst the trees are the foundations of the old Crompton Parkinson Tennis Pavilion, built in the 1940’s . At the north end is the bog garden, at the south end, the entrance to Edison Fields, and in the middle a wide ditch, made when earth was piled onto the old car park.

We’ve long had plans to regenerate this area of the Park by creating a Willow Adventure Walk here for children and young people, with an entertainment space for for story telling where the old pavilion was, and natural play willow and wood features along the walk.

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