Holden Park? Oakworth

[Andy Wade]

Ok, In another life I'm the chairman of The Friends of Holden Park, Oakworth.
We've just changed our group's name from The Friends of Oakworth (Holden) Park, partly because it was confusing people as to the correct name of the park and partly because we have to deal with public bodies that are all calling it Holden Park. We still allude to it being in Oakworth of course.
We have a couple of 'older' members who have lived in the village all their life and insist that is has always been called Oakworth Park. For myself I always thought our original group name paid second fiddle to Sir Isaac Holden by placing his name in brackets.
To be honest I'm fed up with the confusion created here and have started to look into it to find the definitive name for the park.
Does anyone have any idea where I can find the original covenant or deed which gave the park to the people of Oakworth in 1925 (under the auspices of Oakworth UDC)?

I have seen this park named:
Holden Park
Oakworth Park
Oakworth Recreation Ground

The stone gates to the park have two (what look to me like original) metal plaques, one of which looks like this:



And the other looks like this:

[fsharpminor]

Certainly being brought up with parents and grandparents being Crown Green bowlers ( though at Lund Park) they played many matches at what we always called Oakworth Park. Lots of fun to be had playing in the 'caves' and playing 'putting' at at the top (2d a game). It was always my favourite of the Keighley parks as a child . I'm in Keighley tomorrow evening, maybe I will pay a nostalgic visit !

[Andy Wade]

May 26, 2009 19:35:48 GMT fsharpminor said:

Certainly being brought up with parents and grandparents being Crown Green bowlers ( though at Lund Park) they played many matches at what we always called Oakworth Park. Lots of fun to be had playing in the 'caves' and playing 'putting' at at the top (2d a game). It was always my favourite of the Keighley parks as a child . I'm in Keighley tomorrow evening, maybe I will pay a nostalgic visit !

It's well worth the trip! We renewed over half a mile of woodland paths a couple of years ago so you can walk right through and around the park without getting your boots muddy. Considering the forecast for tomorrow that's a good thing too.

I know people used to call it Oakworth Park and I have absolutely no problem with that, it's just that someone has actually suggested that Bradford Council changed the name in recent years, but the evidence on the front gatepost plaques seems to contradict this.

I used to live near Lister Park in Manningham and guess what all the locals call it? Manningham Park. But we always knew it was really Lister Park.
It's strange as Lister and Holden were business partners with a huge woolcombing company.

[barcroftlad]

Hi Andy, in my time, up to 1954, I only ever recall it being referred to as Oakworth Park. Holden Hall, yes, Holden Park? I never heard that. Cheers.