IT is a park for the people.

Back in 1879, 2.5 acres of land in Huddersfield were dedicated as a park to “increase the happiness, promote the good health and elevate the minds of the people”.

And now a history of Beaumont Park has been published, with anecdotes of the park’s history since Henry Frederick Beaumont donated the land.

The book, called Huddersfield’s Beaumont Park, has been published to coincide with the park’s bandstand being unveiled.

The bandstand project, which received funding of £190,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, was carried out in partnership between Kirklees Council and the Friends of Beaumont Park.

Beaumont Park resident John Pearson has compiled the book with the help of residents.

It’s a move away from his expertise – Mr Pearson is a physicist who taught at Salendine Nook High School and now teaches at Leeds and Bradford universities.

The book, which is now available in local bookshops, grew out of a project started in 2008 by the Friends, who sought to discover more about the history of music in the park and the bands that have performed there over the years.

John said: “I’ve never written a book before, but I did have help.

“I joined the Friends about 11 years ago. The park was going to rack and ruin and the Friends have really turned it around over the years.

“I’ve spoken to people who have lived around the park. One man can remember playing there in 1934, one lady I interviewed told me her father was there when it opened in 1883.”

In the book are details of the first sod cut in May 1880, the steam tramway which opened in 1882 and the opening of Woodfield Station.