Park Life
Free local history exhibition will tell the fascinating history of the area’s parks, forgotten landmarks and long-lost attractions.
From a vanished memorial tower and a much-loved playground known as “Shanty Town” to wartime air raid shelters and park visitors caught misbehaving, a free exhibition next month will reveal the surprising stories behind the parks and recreation grounds of Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
Organised by North East Lincolnshire Archives, the exhibition will take place at Grimsby Town Hall on Friday 20 November, from 10am to 4pm, giving visitors the chance to explore the history of the area’s green spaces through fascinating archive documents and photographs.
The exhibition will focus particularly on the development of People’s Park and Grant Thorold Park, bringing to life features that have long since disappeared. Visitors will discover records of the Queen Victoria Memorial Tower, the former gatekeeper’s lodge on Welholme Road and the bandstand that once stood in Grant Thorold Park.
“This exhibition is being staged to celebrate the history of our parks and recreation grounds. As visitors will discover, parks have played an important part in local life: concerts were held in their bandstands, many sporting events have taken place on their lawns, and coronations and jubilees have been celebrated within their grounds.”
Adrian Wilkinson, Local Archivist
The display will also explore how the two World Wars affected local parks, featuring material relating to bomb damage, the construction of air raid shelters and the temporary cenotaph in People’s Park. Photographs of the presentation tanks once displayed in People’s Park and Thrunscoe Recreation Ground will offer a glimpse into another chapter of local history.
The West Marsh area of Grimsby will feature prominently, with archive material relating to “The Bully” and the “Shanty Town” playground. Although “Shanty Town” was open for only a few years, it remains a fondly remembered part of childhood for many local residents.
Visitors will also be able to discover the history of Cleethorpes’ open spaces, including Sidney Park and the Pier Gardens, alongside some of the more unusual incidents recorded in the archives. These include football players accused of using “obscene language” and a boy who decided to help himself to roses.
Local History and Nostalgia
Pier Gardens, Cleethorpes, c1959. The girl in the picture is Susan Davy Rimmer (1950-2021).
The Pavilion, Sidney Sussex Recreation Ground, Cleethorpes. The Pavilion was built in 1934 by Towle Brothers of Grimsby at a cost of £1,866. This picture was taken shortly after the building was completed.
The Queen Victoria Memorial in People’s Park, Grimsby. Probably taken shortly after the tower was completed in 1900.
Picture postcard of a children’s temperance demonstration in People’s Park, Grimsby, 1914.
