Old Pictures

Old Pictures of Queens Park in Crewe

Remember this

 

 
Some older pictures of the park do you remember how it used to be?

Coronation Walk

Lake with the old bridges in the distance

Main Drive with the big trees

Lake with the island full of trees

Main Entrance  again

Two lake pictures with the old bridge and island all from about 2005

 

We have this week some new old photos if that makes sense sent in by B Smith to share with the people of Crewe.
The old Cafe note the two chimneys which is the current design

The clock tower of coarse

A flower bed and old seat and below the lake the golf coarse end

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Rare old Pictures of Queens Park

 

We have found some rare old pictures of the Queens Park many of them old postcards. Above is the Boar War statue with the old cafe and the guns.

The old Lilly pond

The path at the end of Coronation walk note the cafe in the background

The waterfall


two old postcards showing various scenes the lake, main entrance, lodge and boar war statue

Lodges and the clock tower with bunting out

Same again but and older black and white picture

Another Boar war statue picture

The lake side by the gold coarse by the looks of it

The lake again from across the lake towards the cafe with the old bridge

The bridge with the cafe how open the cafe looks with no trees around it like today

The cafe with the monkey hut in front of it

Mani Entrance with the Boar war statue

Another postcard with the clock tower and lake

Coronation Walk

Rowing on the lake with bridge in the background and viewing area

Black and white picture of the lake

Daffs out with the works in the background

One of the old bridges leading to the cafe

Two men outside the main entrance anyone know who they were?

Clock tower once again

 

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Life in the Queens Park 1900’s

 

We have some new old pictures of the Queens Park  park if that makes sense. It shows life in the park in the 1900 and the photos are courtesy of Rona MacKay. They are in very good condition considering they are over 100 years old

See the ducks were still there in those days

I am guessing this would be Burma Island in 1911


See we had snow in 1908

Another bridge not sure were this would be

The old pictures of the Queens Park Crewe are printed with kind permission of Gordon Davies who

 I have known for over 30 years. They are taken from his books Memories of Crewe which can

be obtained from any good book shop. He has a series of books showing Crewe life through the years.

The Queens park Lake

An exceptional feature of the Park is the extensively landscaped man-made lake. The lake was created

by the use of a dam on the west side of the River Waldron (Valley Brook) way back in 1883, flooding

 about five acres of land. As well as the creation of a dam, an area around the River Waldron to a

depth of about five feet was dug out. Then by the method of "puddling" the clay, the bottom was made water-tight.

The picture of the Lake in 1947 note the Tipkinder slag
heap which is now the Skate park top left

The Home Guard in the Queens Park 1940

The Jubilee Pavilion
The Cafeteria standing behind the Memorial is aptly named the Jubilee Cafeteria to commemorate
the Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, being officially opened on 12th June 1977.
This modern structure along with the bandstand was built to replace the Victorian Pavilion
which unfortunately had burnt down.


Cottage Hospital fete 1906 crowds watching tightrope
walking across the lake

Queens park 1988 you can see the band stand and
pavilion to the left and the clock tower top right

1910 the pavilion and the war memorial which was
unveiled in 1903 the pavilion was burnt down by arsonist in 1970

The park in its infancy 1906

The pavilion 1904 from across the lake

Boer war statue

The main walk way 1914

The main entrance to the Queens Park
The Park Lodge Gates

There are four gates - east, west, south and the main gate. The main gates are supported
by four red sandstone gateposts. Each post has emblems surmounted upon them. The gates
themselves are very impressive, made in ornamental ironwork. The two side gates have the
date of the dedication (1887) moulded into the ironwork, whilst the main gate is surmounted
by a royal crown. In the apex of the roof on both lodges facing Victoria Avenue are two
unique witticisms on the two people who the park owes its very existence to. On the east
 lodge is a painting of a bat, moon and tree in yellow and green. A pun oa Sir Richard Moon,
Chairman of the LNWR Company. Whilst the west lodge has a spider's web, a tree and a spider,
a pun on Francis William Webb.


The park in the 1900 used for swimming as the baths
weren't built until 1937

The old bridge across the lake at the turn of the century Original wooden bridge over the lake.
was erected. Four bridges, originally wooden, and surrounding paths make a popular walking
circuit around the lake. After the culverin of Valley Brook, which ie cuivemng or valley BrooK,
was improved the quality of the water, swimming was permitted. By the West island the water
area was deepened to ten feet and a diving board and changing huts were provided which were
eventually removed


The old bridge across the lake June 1988

More pictures of the lake with the island in the centre

Woodland walk near the aviary

Coronation walk

The walk runs from the lake back to the foot of the main entrance. Designed in 1935 by Herbert Probert,

 it is a superb landscaped valley complete with an artificial stream, it holds many surprises. Thought at

the time of construction it might possibly be named the Francis Webb Memorial Garden it was e

ventually called Coronation Walk in 1937.

I am reliably informed there is in excess of 100 species, ranging from Oak, Ash, Beech, Conifers,

Yews, Irish Yews, as well as Laburnum and some beautiful scented Hawthorns. Most trees

that readily come to mind one could find within the Park, far too many I hasten to add for me t

o mention. Of course there are many unique trees, like the twisted Willow, the Canadian Balsam

and my favourite, the Cedar of Lebanon, nicknamed the "monkey tree" by generations of Crewe children.

Main Entrance to the park On entrance into the Park down Central Drive from the gates stands
the impressive Jubilee Clock. Donated by the employees of the Railway Company and built in 1888.
The tower has four large clock faces surmounted by an elaborate support for the weather vane.
The tower is a Grade 2 listed building and is of stone and brick construction

Lake with the bandstand top left

Lake the bottom end near golf coarse

Lake and boat house

Pavilion and statue 1963 Continuing along Central Drive, built for horse drawn carriages, the
South African Memorial stands impressively in front of the Pavilion. Flanked by a sloping bedding
display the statue is 31ft high and made of Labrador and Aberdeen Grey granite. Topped by the
 life-like figure of Tommy Atkins. The north facing side is the only place where the former Arms
of the Borough with the moto "Never Behind" can still be seen.
The Copper bronze plaques on the four sides of the monument give the names of the railway
volunteers who served in the Boer War (1899 - 1902). Crewe can quite rightly feel proud that
through the railway volunteers they were able to send more men to the Boer War than any other
 town in England or Wales of comparable size.


Walk near the aviary

Park pavilion from across the lake

These photos courtesy of Crewe Blogs new site here

Friday, May 8, 2009

More old photos of the park

The bridge
Main Entrance

The old slide at the play area The popular Children's Play Area, which was refurbished in
1986 is a comparatively new addition to the Park, originally being provided in the late 1950's.
Under the United Nations Charter, children have the right to play happily and safely, and
many thousands do so on the up-dated equipment. Swings, slides, roundabouts and many
other items all have rubber safety surfaces beneath them, covering the Crewe clay mud so
the whole area can be properly used despite the weather.

Good Picture of the lake

 

Old pictures of the Queens park sent in by Derek Baker we are all grateful he is sharing these with us.
Above the Boer war statue with the old guns
The old bridge across the lake this seems a popular spot to take pictures

Again the memorial but note the train at the base of it this has now gone and after a phone call today I think I have tracked it down to the council office I will see if I can confirm its still around

The memorial and the broad walk down the hill

The old style cafe

Again the cafe but what is the building in the fore ground I haven't seen this in any other picture and keen to find out what it is and were did it go?

The lake dated 1904 with the wooden bridge

The lake it must be old judging by the cloths


Wooden bridge again across what would be Burma Island now

The lake with boats

Nice picture of the park in winter

Please make a small donation to help keep the site going 

Above the water fall near to the aviary



The old bandstand


The scouts display by the Boer war statue 1976

Queens Park The Way It Was

Pictures sent in by our readers dates unknown


Above Flower beds looking across to the pavilion



Ducks by the lake with fisherman in the distance



The Queens Park lake with nice reflections



Autumn scene with nice tree colors by the lake



Colourful bushes location unknown

The main bridge across the lake



A fine display of Daffodils


Coronation walk 1960's with the greenhouse in the background
Perhaps the oldest and oddest natural item in the Park could be classed as  "unnatural". Again along Coronation Walk is to be found a piece of Aberdeen  granite. This was brought here by the glaciers of the Ice age, and was discovered during the excavations within the old part of the railway company
works.

Water fall near to the aviary 1970,s



The park lake

Queens park Main entrance

Queens park Path leading to the bridge 1960's


The pool near coronation walk 1960's

Queens Park still more old pictures

 

Above coronation walk from 1960's


The result of the fire December 29th 1972 and the pavilion burnt down

Children playing out side the original pavilion

A dance troupe in the park 1900

Old Pictures July 2009

 

More pictures from our readers above John Bebbington also know as Crewe Blondin crossing the park lake with his son on his back in 1907

The Queens park Lake 1928 with diving boards which I have never seen before

1941 and the path to Coronation walk landscaped in 1937 to commemorate the Kings coronation. The site was planted with thousands of Daffs still seen today

The bowling Greens 1930