My local park

I want to share some pictures of my local park, Greenhead Park which is a lovely green space only a short walk from the centre of Huddersfield and where I walk through on my way into town. It was first opened in September 1884, and has seen many changes over the years. Now it contains the usual play park, has a bowling green, tennis courts and a small skate park. The main feature is the war memorial and there is a band stand and glasshouse. When I first moved to Huddersfield in 2006 it was a nice park but you could see that it had got a bit rundown, the conservatory/glasshouse was looking tatty and there were a problems with flooding in some areas. But I was always amazed by how many people used the park it was always packed in the summer, with a wide range of people. Huddersfield is a real ethnic mix and there were kids, students and old people all using this amazing park. Well it got better when in 2009 it was awarded multi-million pound funding by Kirklees Council and the National Lottery Heritage project to refurbish the park. The plans were to renovate the bandstand and the Glasshouse, to sort the drainage issues, to reinstate one of the original lakes in the park, to replace all the railings around the park and generally rejuvenate the whole area. The pictures below I've taken throughout the year.

The restoration, as it often does, took a bit longer than planned but it is all finished now. The Glasshouse has been restored and to the back of the building a small cafe has been added, but you can also sit, with your food and drinks, in the main conservatory with the scent of jasmine in the air.

One of the key factors in the parks development was the set up of the Friends of Greenhead Park. This voluntary group do amazing things to keep the park looking so great.

The park railings have all been replaced and new gates at the entrance to the park have been added. The original ones were removed in 1940, to be melted down for the war effort.

Coming into the park, the path leads up to the war memorial which is an impressive structure. This was a later addition to the park added in 1924.

There is a bowling green and tennis courts along this stretch with a new skate park at the end. A new small pavilion has been built for the bowling green (and for the Friends of Greenhead Park to meet) and there is also a small cafe and community room along here.

There is also a model steam train which operates in the park at weekends.

There were originally 5 lakes or ponds in the park, one of these has been recently restored, this is all a bit concretey (I think I've made up that word!) for my liking but it may become more natural as time progresses.

Its looking more settled now.

 There is also another pool which is now used as a childrens paddling pool. I know we didn't get too many nice days this summer but on some days it was packed with children and families. In this age of health and safety its nice to see these sorts of things still surviving and its popularity shows that it needs to be kept going. Not sure it looks very tempting on an autumn day.

The bandstand has been restored to its former glory too.

They have rejuvenated all the borders in the park as well. This used to be a straggly rose garden which now looks amazing and flowers for months on end.

 The planting was brilliant in the peak of summer.

Though now in autumn its almost over and some bits cut back.

This is near the conservatory and the mass planting of catmint which flowers for ages with a lovely delicate rose is gorgeous. 

Leading away from this area towards the restored formal fountain.

In this year of the Olympics and the Jubilee they were patriotic in their bedding schemes.

Even in the autumn and winter its looks beautiful.

I just wanted to show you some pictures of my park, I love it and I know its a really important part of Huddersfield. Its an example of how lottery money has done something positive and vital in this community. Some people will still complain that its a waste of money in these difficult times but if you see it on a weekend you will realise how much it is used by a wide range of people in Huddersfield.