The walled garden in Carr Lodge Park is a 50 metres x 50 metres Grade II listed site and whilst originally cultivated to provide food for the occupants of the mansion was converted into a quiet area with Carr Lodge Park prior to being effectively abandoned over the past 20 years or so. During that time its walls had become overcome with ivy and brambles and weeds had grown to 6 feet high. Self seeded trees were left to grow wild and the garden has been used from time to time for illicit drinking and glue sniffing.

After our successful apprenticeship at creating new herbaceous borders and planting up the old rose beds with bedding plants during 2009. We were granted permission to start the first phase of bringing the Carr Lodge Walled Garden back into community use by clearing away the self seeded weeds, brambles and trees which had overgrown the garden over the past 20 years or so.

Gaining permission to start was delayed somewhat because of the need for Wakefield Council to consider the implications of the sale of the mansion house and whether or not the walled garden was to be included. Once the decision was made to exclude the garden from the sale and following representations through Councillor Ripley, the Council Cabinet member responsible for Parks and recreation, Cllr Hudson, gave authority for the work to start. Further consultation with Council officers, Friends of Horbury Park and the Horbury Heritage Group concluded with the Rotary Club undertaking delivery of Phase 1, which will also include putting a gate on the walled garden entrance to facilitate safe working for subsequent stages.

The first phase was to clear the walled garden of overgrown brambles, grass and trees, prior to levelling off the ground and implementing further development of a number of ideas for public use of the open space.

Five mornings of work in November and December by small groups of Rotarians cleared over 70% of the brambles and long grass and weeds and made a good start on the removal of 24 trees and shrubs.

Other Rotary activities and the severe weather before and after Christmas meant little work was done for about 6 weeks but work resumed at the end of January with just 4 trees remaining at that time and 75% of the brambles and weeds cut down. During early February 2009 we will complete the rest of the work and remove the ivy from the South wall which is in a poor state of repair partly due to the weight and infiltration of the ivy routes.

The clearance work is expected to be completed by the end of March 2010 by which time it is anticipated that the Friends of Carr Lodge Park and other interested parties will have decided on the layout and facilities to be made available for the people of Horbury and surrounding areas.