If ever you catch quite a beginner and want to give him a taste for botany tell him to make a perfect list of some little field or wood. Both Miss Thorley and I agree that it gives a really uncommon interest to the work, having a nice little definite world to work on, instead of the awful abyss and immensity of all British Plants.

Charles Darwin in a letter to Joseph Hooker -director of Kew Gardens


You will have realised from the quote above that the general theme of this blog is to study one area in detail rather than looking far and wide. In particular, to study the wild flowers that grow in the  'nice little definite world' of Leazes Park and where possible take a Darwinian perspective on matters. It is well known that in the early part of his career Darwin traveled far and wide on board HMS Beagle. Less well known, however, are his studies in his garden and its immediate surroundings and the influence those studies had on the formulation of his theory of evolution by natural selection. It is not the intention of this blog to recapitulate Darwin's garden experiments (there are books that show you how to do just that) but it is worth mentioning that  Darwin was a great botanist and even without his theory of evolution his work as a botanist would still be remembered today and where there are links with his researches these will be highlighted.

Leazes Park is the oldest park in Newcastle upon Tyne and it is situated in the centre of Newcastle. It is surrounded by University Buildings, the Newcastle Hospitals Trust and some beautiful Georgian Terraces in one of which I am lucky enough to live.
The park was opened in 1873 but its creation started before that in 1857 when 3000 working men petitioned Newcastle Council for some space for recreation. Their campaigning led to a space that has been enjoyed by generations down the years that we can all enjoy to this day. Leazes Park has all the standard accoutrements of a park; a lake, a bandstand, flower beds, tennis courts and some basketball courts. Although Leazes Park is not a nature reserve it has its wild areas and in any case wildflowers (weeds if you like) find a way of appearing in the most 'well-managed' areas.
Like all parks, Leazes Parks has had some good times and some bad times. By the 1990s it was becoming dilapidated. Thanks to a heritage lottery grant, it was restored to its former glory. The bandstand was renewed, the lake restored and a range of planting brought the park back to life.
Unfortunately, as a result of austerity things have slipped back a little. There has been a dramatic reduction in staff employed to maintain the parks and consequently an upsurge in graffiti and vandalism. For example, newly planted saplings have been snapped off and stone terraces have been vandalised. From time to time, people sleep rough in the park and they are seldom particular about the state they leave it in. And of course, there is the usual problem with litter. It seems that people who drink larger or cider and enjoy fast food have difficulty finding bins. Despite all this and because of the work of the park rangers, the Friends of Leazes Park and others, Leazes Park remains an oasis in the centre of town.

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