The Creation; Four Men and a Floating Tin Shack
Four Men and a Floating Tin Shack Now you might well wonder what on earth the grainy old photo of four men and a floating tin shack has to do with our beautiful park and gardens. Let me explain....
The Ground Beneath your Very Feet…
As a continuation of the history of Radipole park and gardens, here's a couple more photos from the 1930's showing their construction. Pictured below is the partly infilled, swampy land, and the original, very much shorter, Alexander Bridge, with Hanover Road running off into the distance and Lyndhurst Terrace facing the the tracks. Most of the garden's were formed with the dredging of Weymouth's estuary floor, redeposited via pump to infill the ground. Only problem was, it wasn’t filling it quite quick enough. The solution? It also became the town’s tip. Unfortunately, those frequent dumpings of debris brought with them a certain noxious aroma! Definitely not one that local residents...
Panic When it Comes to Pruning Your Pears? Fear Not. Join us on Tuesday 13th February 10-12 am.
Most people know about the beautiful Radipole gardens with their weeping willows and stunning flower beds...
Radipole Park under Construction…1920’s-1930’s.
Radipole park and gardens is probably one of the 'newer' recreational areas in Weymouth. It was constructed between the two World Wars, at a time when when the country was suffering from economic depression and the accompanying high unemployment. The government of the day had set out loans to those councils that wanted to avail themselves of them to complete public works at very favourable rates. Weymouth grasped this opportunity with both hands and set to expanding it's land. A problem that had thwarted the town for centuries, because Weymouth, or Melcombe Regis of old, was basically built out on a sand spit. Surrounded by the sea on one...
Powerful words…Powerful Memories; Holocaust Day 2018
Our local parks and gardens, besides being somewhere that gives us great pleasure, they can also provide us with a wealth of memories. Some are happy, some may be sad, but some hold very powerful messages for those who visit. So it is for Radipole Gardens who will be holding their annual Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday January 26th. In our gardens, standing tall and straight is a Holocaust Memorial Tree, donated by local resident, Tony Hamm. Each year people from all walks of life and faiths gather together around it to remember not only those lives lost or affected affected by such atrocious acts of barbarism under...
Childhood memories of Radipole playpark
To many people of a certain age this insignificant low wall will bring back many happy and fun-filled memories. For those NOT of a certain age you may wonder what the dickens I'm on about. Let me explain...
Radipole Lake before Radipole Park
I love this old image in so many ways. It is a snapshot of where I grew up in Hanover Road, living virtually next to the original Alexander Bridge shown here. But more importantly, it shows just how extensive Radipole Lake ( the Backwater) was until Radipole Park Drive was built in the 1920's and the land between the new road and railway lines was infilled for Radipole park and gardens in the 1930's. You can't see it in the top image, but on the lake side of the railways lines stood the Western esplanade, created for Victorian nannies to walk their delicate charges along when the...
Nostalgia; Radipole Park Remembering American Soldiers of WWII
Why are Radipole Park remembering American soldiers of WWII? In the summer of 2017, Weymouth's Mayor arrived to open our Teddy Bear's Picnic via jeep complete with out riders. Radipole gardens was invaded by American troops....
The Quirky Bits…Fallen trees Find a New Life.
It's funny how sometimes something sad turns into something that becomes much loved and appreciated. So it was with one of the grand old trees in the gardens. Having reached the end of her life, there was nothing for it, she had to be felled. But being of a fair size (and costly to move), it was decided to leave her just where she landed. Now she wears a...
Welcome to Radipole’s Weeping Willows
Welcome to the website for Weymouth’s Radipole Park & Gardens run by the Friends group of the park. This is the hub for all manner of information about our beautiful open space, from what’s happening in the park and gardens to a list of events taking place. Photographs taken of our stunning gardens in all their glory…and some of those that tell it’s story. Radipole gardens are renown for their wonderfully gnarled weeping willows that drape the pathways, flickering with light and shade in the summer months. Over the years, many a wedding party have posed for their photos here under their weighty boughs. Maybe you were one of...