Queen's Park

History:1900 to 1960

By Andrew Bradstreet

Before the First World War the park appears to have been extremely well looked after by the council. In 1909 the large bowling green was established, the first playground was created in 1911 and by 1914 a croquet lawn and the current tennis courts were constructed.  The First World War left the park unscarred and between the Wars it was, by all accounts, a wonderful place to visit with The Clock Tower being added in 1912.

Effects of World War II
The Second World War had much more effect on the Park. By July 1939 two air raid shelters were built and most of the railings were cut down to help in the war effort. Also the top of the stream was filled in leaving only the stretch there is today. The Park escaped any bombing but the lake did get a bashing from the military vehicles that ran through it to see if they were waterproof. This is what many people regard as the cause of the leaks that the lake later suffered.

A picture of neglect in the 1960s
After the War the park started to suffer from a mixture of neglect and vandalism. By the 1960s many people felt it was being over-run by dogs and that it was no longer a safe place to be at night.