The Friends of Oakworth (Holden) Park
 Statement of aims and objectives

 

Just to clear up any confusion, Holden Park is more often called Oakworth Park. They are in fact one and the same.

 Back to the diary pages

 
It is our intention to improve Holden Park and its facilities, and publish the results here in the form of pictures and stories about our efforts.
We also intend to apply for any financial assistance or grants which may be available to help us preserve and maintain the unique stone grottoes built by Isaac Holden. As far as is known they are unique in Britain, their like may never be built again as the cost to build such grottoes would be huge.
They are mainly built from locally quarried sandstone, although some small areas in the park are made from natural limestone. As it is now illegal to remove limestone grikes from their original positions for garden rockeries etc, the only source available is now recycled second hand or reclaimed stone.
It is of great importance that we preserve what we have for future generations to enjoy.
Of course the park is not just the grottoes, and there is a lot of work to be done in other areas. We need to see what we have before we know where best to use our resources. Clearing the overgrown areas will be our first task, and is already underway.

Statement of priorities.
The Friends.
We are a group of about twenty people actively involved in working with the Parks Department to improve the park in a number of ways. The group was formed in April 2004 and has a wide membership in terms of age, sex and length of time in the village. The youngest member is eight years old and the oldest in her eighties and the group is equally balanced between people who have lived here all their lives and "off-comed uns".

 

Our aims.
To preserve the unique attributes of the park and encourage greater use and appreciation of it; to incorporate it into the Worth Valley tourist trail, thereby increasing revenue and jobs to the village. To have some fun doing all this!

The park.
The park was made in 1925 on the site of Oakworth House, which belonged to Sir Isaac Holden and was transformed by him in the latter part of the 19th century into a lavish dwelling with attached winter gardens and turkish bath. In the winter gardens there were waterfalls cascading over the manmade rock formations, the floors were covered with Italian mosaics and there were mirrors fixed to the walls to make the place seem larger. There was also a high level walkway where there was a view over the exotic plantings in the winter garden. The surfaces of the caves, the summerhouse and the entrances to the park were decorated with hypertufa, a mixture of peat and cement. This was sculpted into the shape of entwining branches, roots and tree stumps.
After his death the house was demolished and the site of the house, the gardens, winter garden, turkish bath and woodland area became the park. Only the portico, the gateway and the summerhouse remain of the original. The site of the house itself became the bowling green, the turkish bath became the children's play area, and the winter gardens, minus their roof, became the caves.
There are now no cascades and the hypertufa rendering has shelled off in many places. The caves however remain and give pleasure to children now, as they have done over the last 80 years, as they are a magnificent place to play hide and seek and to explore. The high level walk also remains but is unsafe in two places. The woodland area is well used and the lines of the original paths can still be seen to some extent. There is a quarry, used for the extraction of stone for part of the house, which has a stone archway built at the entrance and is now lined with ferns, a beautiful place. The archway however is in poor repair.
Any of our aims and objectives that have been successfully completed will be in red text
What we have done.
In the first eight months since our formation we have:
  • Applied for and received a start-up grant from Keighley Council
  • Supplemented the planting in the area near the park gates Pictures
  • Conducted a survey of people's attitudes to and use of the park, mounted a photographic display which attracted a lot of interest
  • With Worth Valley Young Farmers have cleared the footpaths above the five a side court Pictures
  • with Worth Valley Young Farmers swept the five a side court
  • Cleared a path alongside the field above the caves
  • Planted a wild flower patch in Far Highfield
  • Asked for and received help from the parks department to clear the rubbish on a regular basis from the quarry area.
  • Cut back much of the ivy. (There is still a fair bit left to do)
  • Organise a Halloween party in the park. Pictures of this event here
  • Plant up 1000 bluebell bulbs in the woods - (actually more than 1000 bulbs were planted).
  • Replant part of the wood with bluebells
  • Extend the wild flower planting in Far Highfield
What we still have left to do:
  • Plant up alongside the bowling green with bulbs.
  • Provide and encourage shop keepers to sponsor rose bushes in front of the bowling green.
What we would like to do in the short-to-medium term.
  • install a tap in the men's toilet in the bowling club building so we have easy access to water when planting up - Done Summer 2005
  • install a movement-sensitive light in the first archway across the path leading alongside the bowling green. People find this entrance quite threatening because it is so dark.
  • provide more seating at the front of the park and renew seats near the bowling green
  • Provide planter boxes by the bowling green - Four boxes were supplied and fitted in Autumn 2005
  • clear the footpaths laid down by Sir Isaac Holden in the wood, so providing access for wheelchair users and baby buggy pushers - This has been started but needs much more manpower than we can provide.
  • make a path across Far Highfield which can be used easily by wheelchair users
  • repair the wall at the top of the path above the five a side court
  • rebuild the arched bridge which provides the entrance to the quarry - An inspection has been carried out, most of the stone is on the ground next to the arch.
  • repair the entrance to the park opposite the quarry
  • make a bog garden where the stream now runs
  • produce a history of the park - This is on-going
What we would like to do long-term:
  • commission a report on the condition of the caves and make sure any necessary repairs are carried out
  • restore the hypertufa covering of the park entrance, the summerhouse and the caves
  • restore the retaining wall of the "Monkey run" (the path running along the top of the caves)
  • provide a water feature where there used to be a waterfall at the top of the caves
  • provide a water feature at the front entrance to the park
  • clean and restore the Victorian drinking fountain
  • restore the summerhouse, replacing windows and the door, so it can be locked. This could then be used to store information - New doors, windows and ornamental grilles were fitted December 2005/January 2006 Next job is to have the roof done before we paint the inside.
  • Provide power to the summerhouse for park lighting when special events are being run. This is in process and should be completed January/February 2006
  • develop an information leaflet about the park and a nature trail leaflet
  • have a board which explains the wildlife
  • have a scale model of Sir Isaac's house and grounds and accompanying plan with each different stage of the area superimposed on the basic plan
  • develop some decoration for the panels where the mirrors were originally. New mosaics on the blank wall panels might be a possibility. Oakworth school are interested in the children helping to design the mosaic panels.
  • provide some decorative features for the play area wall
  • improve the children's play area making it useable by disabled children
  • stage events to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Sir Isaac's birth in 2007 Plans are under discussion for this. Any suggestions are very welcome, email Andy Wade from the link at the bottom of this page if you wish to get involved.
  • provide a cafe
  • provide toilets
  • provide a park keeper
  • replace the park gates
  • connect up with Oakworth Station and the Worth Valley Railway and advertise the park as an attraction
  • provide transport from Oakworth station to the park: horse-drawn or vintage bus.
  • provide an electric wheelchair for hire.
Note
Mrs Peggy Smith of Moor Drive is now wheelchair-bound. When she was mobile one of her greatest pleasures was walking in the wood, and she would love to be able to go there again. Her son feels that a footpath across Far Highfield would be a great help, as would paths which were suitably surfaced and not too steep in the wood itself. The surface would not have to be too gravelly, however, as small stones jam the wheels of the chair.
 

If you have any questions or comments, please email the site webmaster Andy Wade