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Born in the suburb of Park Royal in London in 1972, Martin Quinlan reminisces about his childhood.
Amongst my favourite memories are the visits to the long since gone Roundwood Park aviary. The Park holds many events during the year, including the annual Irish festival where communities from all around the Borough of Brent come together -- not sure that these are still held though! A lot of us kids would take advantage of the poor fencing around the Park and sneak in for free.
The Park used to have a boating lake, and we used to take advantage of the fishing opportunities whenever possible, albeit limited.
I am no expert on birds of the feathered variety, but somehow the aviary encompasses all that was typical of parks in a bygone era, when you used to be able to sit on unvandalised benches, see the Park Warden wandering up and down the paths clearing the litter and shooing away unwelcome guests (including myself!)
The aviary was well stocked. I am not sure how any council would be able to justify such an expense these days, but public parks are definitely the worse for the loss of such attractions. No doubt the loss of the aviary had less to do with money and more to do with vandals cutting the wire fence and allowing the birds to roam free.
I often wonder who exactly looked after the birds. I never saw a Park Warden in the enclosure, nor indeed do I remember any bird seed there -- the food seemed to be in plentiful supply from the park visitors.
I think the enclosure may still be in the park, probably buried away and replaced by endless well-trodden grass or under a tarmac car park, but I will always remember the park fondly.
Martin Quinlan, London, 2002
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