IT has played a huge part in the life of the town since it was opened to the public in 1884.

And as a multi-million pound project to restore Greenhead Park to its former glory nears completion, a new book documenting its history has been published.

Secured For The Town tells the story from the park’s earliest days right the way through to the current £4m restoration project.

It has been written by local historian and member of the Friends of Greenhead Park group, David Griffiths.

David spent 18 months researching for the publication – funded by Kirklees Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund – scouring through pages of sources and archive material.

The result is a book that not only sets out important historical dates but also provides a fascinating glimpse into the impact it has had on the lives of generations of families.

The title refers to the successful campaign by Thomas Denham to stave off housebuilding on the site.

His aim was to secure a proper public park for Huddersfield and on September 27, 1884, it was formally opened with great pomp and ceremony.

The book goes on to chart other main events in the park’s history, including the major changes to it over the years.

David said: “I really enjoyed working on this project.

“I already knew the basic story about how it was secured for the town by Denham when he realised that the Ramsden estate was planning to build on the site.

“I was also aware of the big events and changes to the park like the later extensions.

“But there were a lot of fascinating details which I was unaware of, like the fact that there was a drinking fountain called Rebecca which had been there since the 1880s.

“It disappeared during the 1960s but fragments were found during the restoration.

“I was intrigued to discover various plans and dreams down the years for extra facilities in the park.”

David, from Edgerton, used historical photographs and maps to piece together information about the park as well as a wide range of sources, from committee minutes from Huddersfield Corporation to articles in the Examiner.

But he was also keen to show the human side of the Victorian park, such as peoples’ childhood memories and the five figures considered to be ‘heroes’ of the park because of the major parts they played in its development.

He said: “As well as explaining the history of what you can see on the ground I wanted the book to have more of a human factor.

“The park has been used in so many ways for all manner of shows and exhibitions like the flower show and the carnival.

“There’s an awful lot of social history attached to it – for example the fact that when the Polish community came here after the war they would meet on the park benches.

“It’s a public space that people really love and I wanted that to come across.”

Some memories featured in the book have been sourced from the current park stories project, being run by Huddersfield University to get people to record their experiences.

The ambitious project to renovate the park began in October 2008 and included the restoration of original features like the large boating lake.

Building work is expected to be completed by Easter and the Friends group say the book will help visitors make sense of the newly-restored historical features.

David said: “I’m delighted with the work that’s been done and I think that the park is something people can be proud of.

“It’s a very important space, where war and peace have been made.

“It’s had a real impact on our town and hopefully that will continue now it’s been restored.”

Secured For The Town is on sale in the park cafe and local bookshops.

The Friends plan to follow up its publication with a range of heritage activities in the park, including talks on history and guided walks.