24. Ryde Park and Band Rotunda
Year opened
1908
Rotunda started
1934, restored 2009
Builder
M. Herbert of Chatswood
Architect
Summerhayes, Son and Allsop
About Ryde Park and Band Rotunda
Originally part of a 20-hectare grant in 1792 to Richard Hawke who arrived on the Alexander, the land was still held by Richard and his wife at the time of his death in 1828. It then became known as Salter's Paddock in Ryde Park, which was opened in 1908 and extended in 1925. Facilities included grounds for lawn bowls, football, tennis, cricket and hockey, and it was the venue for exhibitions such as the Poultry and Canine Societies' Shows in 1922, as well as the Gladesville Horticultural Society Show in 1932.
In the 1880s, the hockey field in Ryde Park was the site of one of many local brickworks. A deep quarry was excavated in Ashfield Shale for The Ryde Brickworks Ltd., owned by Andrew Ellis. The business closed in 1923, and Council purchased the flooded quarry to extend the park. The pit was filled with municipal garbage, much to the annoyance of neighbours.
The Band Rotunda was erected in 1934 for Ryde Council at a cost of £700.
The official opening of the Rotunda by the Minister for Local Government, Mr Spooner, on the King’s Birthday in 1934, was followed by a sports display. The Ryde Band, founded in 1883, has lapsed twice but continues today as the Ryde City Concert Band. The Rotunda was restored in 2009, with a new floor and paved surrounds designed by artists Milne and Stonehouse. The pavers combine black diorite and rose quartzite in a pattern reflecting the entangled shadow of wisteria branches along with historic references etched into the floor.
Location
7 Blaxland Road, Ryde 2112 View Map
-33.81450807, 151.1091669
7 Blaxland Road ,
Ryde 2112
7 Blaxland Road ,
Ryde 2112
24. Ryde Park and Band Rotunda