The Carville Hall Park South commission, about £325,000, included major works to the park as a whole, including draining and dredging the lake and rescuing terrapins that had taken up lodging there. Creation of a ball court was part of the commission to create a playable park.
What is highlighted in the photos that follow are the relatively low key, yet significant interventions that changed an underused park into a place where adults, children and teenagers could enjoy a shared, informal social realm. What counts in the pictures below are the absences and presences:
- the absences of a fence round the sand pit and water area
- the absence of a high, totally enclosing fence around the ball court
- the absence of a fence around the swings
- the presence of families having a picnic around the sand and water area – the absence of fencing creating a wholly different, friendlier atmosphere or ‘feel’
- the presence of kids utterly absorbed in their play, itself a factor encouraging parents, families to relax, and hang around for extended periods of time.
Technically, none of the features cause any particular difficulty.
