Bell Reserve
Bell Reserve is a beautifully landscaped park in Croydon. The site was bequeathed by Betty Bell to Council for use as an open space reserve.
Location
188 Croydon Road, Croydon.
Facilities
- Benches
- Drinking Fountain
- Picnic tables
- Landscaped garden
History
Betty Bell (1923-2015) lived on the site of Bell Reserve, in the house ‘Balmoral’, with her parents Alexander and Christina and sister Heather.
In her will, Betty bequeathed the land to the community requesting it be maintained as an open space reserve.
‘Balmoral’ was demolished in September 2019 and Bell Reserve was created and opened for the community in 2021.
Original trees from Betty’s garden remain on the site, as do the original front brick wall and gates, the door knocker and house numbers and a wash tub and plant pots from Betty’s garden.
Some quotes about Betty
The quotes below are from a local resident, who befriended Betty as a high school student and maintained a long friendship with her.
Betty and her garden
“Betty loved her garden. Betty spent every available moment she could in the garden.”
“She really enjoyed it when anybody stopped and chatted with her and asked her about plants.” Betty “loved it when the kids would stop and look at her garden.”
“If she had a daisy growing she would pick it and give one to them.” Betty “liked people valuing her garden and valuing what she was doing.”
A description of the garden
“It wasn’t an ordered garden like you’d expect an English person to have. It was a bit of this here and a bit of that there. Well from memory, you’d walk through these little pathways, and you had a huge azalea on one side and the camelia on the other side. A clump of this or a clump of that, but whatever she had she looked after, she enjoyed, she tended.”
A description of Betty
“She was little. She had short curly hair.”
“Betty drove a green 1964 Valiant sedan, which is a big car, and when you saw her getting into her car you’d wonder how Betty could see over the steering wheel.”
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