Childhood memories of Greenhead Park as work aims to restore it to its former glory

Apr 6 2010 by Joanne Douglas, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Childhood memories of Greenhead Park as work aims to restore it to its former glory

IT was the scene of smartly dressed nannies with babies and toddlers playing at their knees.

It was the scene of Bobby Smith walking round with his big stick – a visible deterrent to young would-be vandals.

And it was also the place to be seen on a Saturday night.

This are just some of the many memories Barbara Hocknell recalls of Greenhead Park as a young girl.

The park, currently undergoing a £5.4m renovation, was once the hub of society.

And for Miss Hocknell, now aged 95, it is the home to many of her fondest memories.

She and her sister Nancy, who was 18 months younger, lived in Trinity Street – directly opposite the gates to Greenhead Park.

For the young sisters it was their playground and their nightly entertainment.

Sharing her memories with the Examiner, Miss Hocknell – who now lives in Almondbury – recalled: “My earliest memories are of being taken across the road to play in the park.

“We were taken to what we knew as the Italian Gardens – an area of beautifully-kept flower beds and immaculate lawns to the right of the main avenue.

“In our white dresses trimmed with broderie anglaise with pink or blue sashes round our waists and matching bows in our hair, we would sit on the grass picking daisies and making long daisy chains.

“I would have been about four and my sister two and a half.

“Nearly all the benches were occupied by nannies in their smart blue, grey or brown uniforms. They had big prams with one or two babies in them and toddlers round their knees.

“Sooner or later Bobby Smith would stroll along. He was the park keeper – a well-built jovial man with a broad smile and a big stick. I never knew of him using his big stick, but those were the days when a clip round the ear was enough to cause a would-be young vandal to think again.

“Our bedroom was at the front of the house and, although we were supposed to be in bed, we were glued to the windows watching the fascinating scene below.

“For this was Saturday night, the night when the young people of the town flocked to the park to be seen.

“We gazed down upon a vast, ever-moving crown of flowery hats and flimsy dresses, of straw boaters, silver knobbed canes and lemon gloves.”

As a girl she found the ideal place to play whips and tops – behind the main gates – and said the twisting paths were best for bowling hoops.

One of her favourite spots was the lake to the left of the main avenue.

There men and boys would bring their yachts to sail them across the water.