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"I like living by the park"

Ahmed has lived in a flat near Preston Park for about a year now, I asked him what he liked about the area? “I like living by the park, it is quiet and sometimes my friends come over and we go to the park to play.”

Ahmed wasn’t too sure of any history of the park or surrounding area, but we discussed the photograph, and whether he would have liked to be around in those times? “NO – there were no TVs, computers or MP3 players, oh and no library!”

So what would you have done for entertainment in those days, was the next question? Ahmed reckons that people would have listened to radios for their entertainment.

We went on to discuss schools and schooling in those days: “It would have definitely been stricter at school, and you could have got into trouble a lot easier, you would have probably had to eat toads! The games at school would have been different. I don’t think there would have been any cricket, and the games would have been old fashioned games like chase. Tennis rackets would have been made of wood rather than being strung as they are now.”

So my next question to Ahmed was what sport did he play now? “I like football, rugby, hockey and playing ‘it’.” He went on to say: “I think that as there weren’t buses around in those days you probably would have had to walk to school, nowadays there are more bikes available!”. If Ahmed were around then he would have invented sweatshirts to wear.

We finished up talking about the park again, and what it would have been like in those days? “I think there would have been too many trees and, with the wind blowing through them, it would have been too noisy.”

Clearly Ahmed is someone who enjoys the peace & quiet Preston Park can offer.

Entrance to Preston Park, ca 1900
Image reproduced with permission from Brighton History Centre

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