The Art of the Arrival - from Gate Lodges to Mansion

See Roundhay Park through the eyes of a visitor to Thomas Nicholson’s early 19th century country residence by following the impressive and cleverly designed route from the gate lodges on Wetherby Road to his hilltop mansion. You’ll learn about the Park’s long and winding history as we go.

The start is beside the gate houses at the southern end of the park. These lodges have been derelict for too long. Leeds Buildings Preservation Trust (LBPT) is working with Leeds City Council and Friends of Roundhay Park to bring these twin historic features back into active use.

LBPT Trustee Peter Baker will introduce the project before we set off on our walk, led by Rachael Unsworth, of Leeds City Walking Tours.

It's nearly three quarters of a mile from the lodges to The Mansion. You can either return down the middle of the park to where we started (making a total of about a mile and a half) or continue with Rachael on a wider loop via the old tram stop, West Avenue and Park Avenue to appreciate more about the park’s history and its current landscape. This route - also finishing back at the lodges - totals nearly two and a half miles.

Timings

Tuesday 15 September:

18.00

Wednesday 16 September:

14.30

Location & directions

Roundhay Gate Lodges, Wetherby Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 2LP

Directions:

The exact location of the start is here: https://what3words.com/priced.puddles.cubes - the lawn beside the west lodge

Contact on day:

Peter Baker

Telephone number:

+447790910101

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking required

Booking conditions:

Pre-booking required

Booking contact name:

Peter Baker

Booking email:

[email protected]

Booking opens:

01 Aug 2026 12:00 PM

Accessibility details

The first part of the walk alongside the lake is level and accessible. Thereafter there is a slope up the hill to the Mansion. For those continuing on the wider loop, the route between the old tram stop and West Avenue is across uneven grassland. For the Wednesday 16th September walk, there are toilets available at the Mansion. For the Tuesday 15th September walk at 18.00, there will be no toilet facilities available.

Additional information

Estimated duration:

2 hour(s)

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