The Park refurbishment has changed into one of those government/defence project scenarios that seem to continue to go on for ever. I read this thread and decided to go and have a look myself. I walked in through the entrance to the Park at the old Central Library (I refuse to call Charles Soames architecturally unexceptional starter home by its “upcycled” name of Pitzhanger Manor!) and discovered that there was no way through from behind the Library to the main part of the park.I then walked around to the small service road entrance beside the sorting office. There was a yellow sign there saying that that park entrance would be closed until March 2014. As we were in the second week of April I took a chance that a notice linked to the Council might be accurate and ventured. Not open. As I was leaving (a little tired by now, and not relishing walking several hundred yards down the road to get in at the bottom of the Park) and when I got to the yellow notice (posted here) a gentleman asked me if the entrance was in fact open. I said “No” which left him in the same frame of mind as me. Then he had a bright idea - “The entrance through the college!” he said, and we set off for the entrance through the Hammersmith and West London College that used to be the old Ealing Grammar. It is open, though of course there are no signage to indicate that this is the only way into the park from the Ealing Green.First impressions are not very good: “That's where the animals used to be” he says looking at a multi-coloured expanse of sheet metal. I agree with him, the loss of the mini-zoo and then the wildlife rescue centre has been tragic. However, our leaders want to have a cardboard entertainment centre rather than living creatures!The once-beautiful rest garden surrounding the brook has gone the now old acers have been grubbed up and the overall impression of the new "chemically green" turf that first sprang to mind was “Pebble Beach Golf Course” in California, U.S.A. There is rather a lot concrete blockwork under the arches of what used to be the pond and the stream now looks more like some kind of Olympic event.Venturing further, the new main Pond is indeed impressive, though I can see no sign of our beloved fountains. It is deep enough that it can support a (non-smelly) ecosystem through the winter and summer cycle.However, I am intrigued by the engineering that has been used to build it. It is a very old-fashiones approach that has largely been superseded by a different method: in places where there is likely to be earth movement and settement/subsidence it is typical these days to put down a membrane (e.g. butyl rubber) on sand and to then pour concrete and build on top of it. This means that a concrete pond lasts much longer and is less prone to leaks. The approach taken in Walpole Park involves pointed concrete blockwork which has been painted/sprayed/coated with a tanking compound (black plastic or bitumen-based judging by the look of this) which is far less durable.My first overall impressions of the Park are disppointing – lots of engineering, great potential as a golf course, however, not the Park that I and my friends used to play in as children.Cold and commercial, from an architect's pen.P.S. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CARP (GOLDFISH) POND ON THE NORTH CORNER OF THE MANOR!!!!!!
Peter Mcleod ● 4400d