Kingsdown Carols 2008
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
Andy King in full song, Lucy King and Steve Berger accompanying.
Click on the photo to see more, including a rare shot of SANTA himself on a Kingsdown roof!
Archive for December, 2008
Kingsdown Community Tree (and unofficial traffic island)
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
Kingsdown Christmas Tree
Monday, December 22nd, 2008Kingsdown got its own Christmas Tree yesterday. Sited in the centre of the junction of St Matthew’s Road; Clevedon Terrace and The Back of Kingsdown Parade, it caused a lot of interest from both motorists and pedestrians. Its illuminations are still in need of adjustment but we hope it is sufficient to show up at night and bring some Christmas sparkle and fun.
It is designed as a pilot to the scheme, initiated five years ago, to improve the wide open space of this junction. Our idea is to slow traffic by planting a large tree near the spot of the Christmas tree, thereby slowing traffic and making it a safer and friendlier place for residents and other pedestrians.
The siting of the tree should not be a problem to any vehicle, even if it is confusing and unexpected, but we would welcome any comments from motorists and locals.
Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas.
Hospital landscaping and rights of way
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008Notes of KCG meeting with UHB Trust officers 24 Nov 2008
Now that the Institute building programme is nearly finished, UHB and the Council are looking at how best to re-open the temporarily closed routes through the site.
Cyclists and pedestrians will again be able to use Cottage Place (which will be closed to motor vehicles except for fire engines) and Terrell Street (which will also be used by ambulances taking patients to the Heart Institute). We asked the hospital to reconsider their plans to separate off a narrow strip of the roadway with plant-pots, as we thought it was too cramped for prams, which would in any case have to go into the roadway when they needed to pass, through gaps in the planted area. We think a ’shared space’ approach would be much more convenient for all concerned, but UHB thought it was now too late to change. We regretted the lack of earlier consultation and agreed to supply the contact details for a local specialist in Shared Space.
Alfred Hill will again be open to pedestrians, with new steps at the bottom leading down to Terrell Street / Cottage Place. We were pleased that new vehicle turning space would be laid in setts, but thought the provision of a footpath all round the edge was a waste of money in a largely traffic-free road. Apparently this is a City Council requirement. We asked for the two lamp-standards in Alfred Hill to be improved by the provision of box lanterns, and UHB have now passed this on to the Council officers involved.
The Woodland Walk will be reinstated, with some new planting, details of which will be supplied to us. However, we did not think the plans for a ramp at the junction with Marlborough Hill would be very successful in practice. We asked for access to the woods at this point to be preserved, but suggested that the current steps be replaced by others, perhaps with pram-rails (as widely used abroad). We think that the whole stip of open space from the Dove Street flats to Horfield road should be seen as a green corridor.
There is a problem at the western end of the walk, because the Bedford Place steps from Horfield Rd are steep and do not lead in the direction most users want (towards the City Centre), but the alternative would be to descend by new steps to a road that is already busy and will soon be used for more construction traffic.
Any changes to Marlborough Hill will depend on the Council’s plans. (We have now heard that these will probably be limited to narrowing the road below the No Entry signs at the Cottage Place crossing).
Remaining issues:
Alfred Hill – Can the two lamp posts be enhanced with box lanterns and new lighting?
Terrell Street – Should the lower BP steps be reinstated? – When the new wards are complete, should there be a protected pedestrian path along the north side of TS? – Sould all or part of TS be shared traffic space?
The woodland walk – How can access from MH be resolved? – When can the construction village fence be removed and the path extended and laid from AH to MH?
Fruit Growing In Kingsdown
Thursday, December 4th, 2008Three Talks by Tim Foster on Simple Fruit Growing
Our high walls and sheltered gardens here in Kingsdown are ideal for growing a range of fruits but it can be scary to decide what to grow, knowing these trees or bushes could be here for decades to come. So come and find out the ABC of fruit growing and make full use of your gardens.
These talks will be held at the Ark, St Matthew’s Road, from 7.30 – 9.30 on Tuesday 25th January; Tuesday 4th February and Tuesday 10th February.
The talk will cover :- An introduction to Fruit Growing; Choice; Planting and Maintenance; Top (tree) Fruit and Soft Fruits.
The cost will be £12 for the three meetings.
To reserve a place, contact Helen on 9422922 or email insideout73@blueyonder.co.uk