Situated on the Western boundary of the park, the former 19th century kitchen, fruit and ornamental gardens of the Nicholson family were once only separated from the main grounds by a pathway. Today the alignment of this pathway forms the main highway of Princes Avenue.
Set away from the main focus of the house and pleasure gardens, in line with early 19th century landscape design, Nicholson laid out a walled kitchen garden, which produced year round fruit, vegetables and flowers for the mansion.
With the advent of public access to the estate, the existing greenhouses were developed into an extensive glass development which was opened throughout the year as a series of twelve show houses, the principle being the Coronation House. This elegant glasshouse, similar in style to the mansion conservatory, contained attractive exotic plant displays set amongst running brooks and ornamental ponds. While the productive grounds of the kitchen garden outside gave way to a more formal rose garden, which in 1901 was planted with a well-selected stock of Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.
Colourful herbaceous borders flanked the garden walls, which also provided shelter and support for many other plants such as Cystisus Battandieri, varieties of Wisteria, Garrya, Forsythia, Hedera, together with Quince, Magnolia Grandiflora and vanilla scented Azara Microphylla. Indeed, horticulturally these gardens have always been exemplary, and in The Gardeners’ Chronicle article dated as early as 1904, the newly laid out gardens were described "as a chief centre of interest, which cannot fail to command the appreciation of the public".
For a short period during the war years the grounds reverted back to vegetable production like many other areas within the estate, as part of Roundhays contribution to the ‘Dig for Victory Campaign’. With the expansion of the Coronation House into the nationally renowned ‘Tropical World’, which opened to the paying public in 1983, the Grade II, former Park Manager’s Office was converted into a tea shop, and the raised area immediately around the conservatory on the site of the original hot houses, was redesigned to include a paved area with planters, stepped water feature, pool and pergola.
Today this municipal style rose garden, remains highly popular with the public as a place for quiet relaxation.
The area of Roundhay, Leeds in the thirteenth century was a three square mile hunting park for the DeLacy family of Pontefract Castle.
The entire estate was purchased by the City of Leeds in 1872 and opened as a public park by His Royal Highness Prince Arthur on the 19th of September 1872.
At the time, the then Lord Mayor of Leeds John Barran was ridiculed for buying a 'White Elephant' - in that the park was too far out of the city for the majority of the population to enjoy, and in any event the park had just one access road - an old 'turnpike' road dating from 1808.
The park was seen as a reckless waste of ratepayers money - critics even published a booklet under the title: 'The Big White Elephant' in 1879.
In June 1907 an open air swimming pool 'lido' opened, at a cost of just over £1,600, it was built mainly by unemployed citizens. During the 1950's and 1960's about 100,000 people a year visited the Roundhay 'swimming baths'.
Roundhay Park comprises over 700 acres of parkland, lakes and woodland. The Park includes scented gardens for the blind, National Plant Collections, Canal Gardens, the Monet and Alhambra Gardens, plus Tropical World which attracts visitors all year round. Newly opened for 2005 is the Friends Garden, located alongside Canal Gardens and the Rainbow Garden.
Woodpeckers, common warblers in spring and summer, mute swans, visiting whooper swans, great-crested grebes and herons can all be found at the park.
The Upper Lake is maintained as a wildlife area, and the larger Waterloo Lake is used for fishing. The Roundhay Park Arena is a natural amphitheatre which provides the venue for many special events ranging from sports days to major pop concerts and the spectacular bonfire and firework displays on 5th November .
Facilities at Roundhay Park also include tennis courts, skateboard ramps, sports pitches, bowling greens, a sports arena, a golf course, and fishing. A lakeside cafe overlooks Waterloo Lake.
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