Letcliffe Park

[Silver Lady]

I've been wandering around Letcliffe Park a bit of late, and so much has changed since I was a lass back in the '70's. The pitch & putt course are long-gone, ditto the little putting green. Obviously, the Cenotaph and Jubilee Fountain were re-located to their current positions, but there are a couple of things really puzzling me, and I hope someone can tell me I'm not going crackers (or at least that my memory isn't playing tricks on me ).
Firstly, I'm sure there was another, possibly gated, entrance onto Manchester Road, nearer to Barlick centre than the "main entrance." I remember it being the culmination of a steep slope, which, I recall, had rubber insets, presumably to stop people slipping. It always felt like an altogether more sinister, spooky approach to the park, as, being under a canopy of trees, it always seemed to be in perpetual darkness. Apologies if I've missed anything in a previous topic, but the only reference I've found to this other entrance is in Chris Davies' 1983 "Barnoldswick - a Pictorial Heritage."
The second mystery is that I'm convinced that there used to be a wooden bandstand, as well as the remaining concrete (or whatever it is... ) stage. Again, it was lower down in the park than the stage, but I can't for the life of me see where it was or could have been (I'm convinced it existed...).
Please can anyone help?

[Stanley]

The bottom entrance is still there. I suspect you may be thinking of the old 'Men's Shelter' that used to stand on the slope above the bandstand and below the plinth where the viewpoint is.

[Silver Lady]

Well I remember the shelter - and I'm glad to see the plinth is still there - it left a lasting impression on me, as a child who had to be lifted onto it, and inspired my enduring love affair with the hills.
However, the other bandstand was much lower down - I used to dance on it, as I liked the sound my (elephant's) feet made on the wooden boards. I just can't work out where it would have been???

[PanBiker]

Only one wooden Bandstand as far as I am aware of up Letlcliffe. Surrounded by the privet terraces, below where the shelter with the drinking fountain in the wall used to be. The main entrance through the gates is the one you are referring to with the rubber insets in the flags up into the park. At the top of that slope, opposite where the cenotaph used to be was the nursery greenhouses and flower beds for the BUDC town gardeners who used to do the magnificent flower displays around town. On Fernlea Avenue and in front of Holy Trinity. There is also a ginnel lower down that runs up the left hand site of the park and will emerge at the left hand side of the slope with the viewing platform on, the concrete base for that formerly to hold the WWI tank that was in the park.

[Stanley]

The bandstand at Letcliffe in about 1920. Interesting how the trees have grown since this pic was done.

[Silver Lady]

Yes indeed; you can hardly see the houses now, if at all. That's a cracking photo, Stanley - thankyou very much for sharing it
That bandstand must've played host to a variety of acts over the years, from the archetypal brass band to pop / rock acts. I'm sure Slack Alice played there on at least one occasion? Wonder where the electric hook-ups were for the guitars, amps etc..?

[Stanley]

You can still see the locations of the access points to the leccy. All disconnected now of course.

[AMP]

I lived in the house next to the park and visible in the photo from 1955-73. There was definitely only one bandstand, in the current spot and made of wooden planks. I spent many a long hour underneath it, but I can't think why for the life of me.

[Stanley]

welcome to the site AMP. Do you have a name?

[AMP]

Hi Stanley

Yes - Andrew Palfrey. I haven't been to Letcliffe Park for a couple of years but it was in a sorry state vs when it was properly maintained. Although I spent a large part of my childhood in the park, I've no real idea of the history of it. It must have been quite an undertaking to create it. Is there a history of it anywhere??

Rgds

[Stanley]

Andrew, I've never found any coherent account of the park, just bits and pieces of research. I gathered them together in an article but it's in the archive and hasn't been indexed yet. I'll post the articles under Stanley's View.

[Stanley]

'Power to the People' has the origin of the park. The other two are related.