Pond takes on new look
RESTORATION work at Ipswich's Christchurch Park is stepping up a gear as stonemasons fit coping stones to the top of the round pond.But there was a warning from park bosses that the lawn in front of the mansion will look worse before it looks better as the restoration continues.
RESTORATION work at Ipswich's Christchurch Park is stepping up a gear as stonemasons fit coping stones to the top of the round pond.
But there was a warning from park bosses that the lawn in front of the mansion will look worse before it looks better as the restoration continues.
The existing lawn is to be killed off an completely relaid because it would take much longer to patch up what is already there.
Park manager Sam Pollard explained: “We are doing quite a lot to remodel the lawn in front of the mansion, and if we tried to turf over the ground we had disturbed the patches would show for many years and it would look like a poor job.
“So we will be killing off the lawn and relaying it in total - it will look much better.”
He was delighted to see work finally nearing completion on the round pond. It was delayed because the existing coping stones had been found to be in much worse condition than was first thought.
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“That has delayed work there during the summer but it is great to see the work coming along now and they should all be in place by the weekend,” said Mr Pollard.
Once the stones are in place, a new fence will be put up and then the ponds will be refilled.
However in a change to the original plan, it will not be refilled by water from the wilderness pond because that now has blue-green algae.
But Mr Pollard accepted that it would be impossible to keep the algae out of the round pond.
“It gets carried on the feet of ducks and other wildfowl and once they have carried it in there is nothing you can do about it.
“You just have to wait for nature to take its course - it can take a couple of years to clear but we hope it will only be a few months because it hasn't bloomed at all,” he said.
And by the start of next year the park should be looking much better, with the new buildings including the park visitor centre and the new kiosk in the lower arboretum open for business.
