A HERITAGE WALK AROUND
QUEENS PARK, CREWE
by Howard Curran July 1997
An 1882 map of the area shows farmlands straggling the
River Waldron (Valley Brook) covering almost 11 fields,
these fields consisting of nearly 50 acres of land would
eventually be the nucleus of the Park. The river which
meandered peacefully through these farmlands, would one
day flow into a newly constructed lake.
How fortunate that over forty years earlier that the
railway company instead of building their line to
Chester across these pastures, chose a more northerly
route through Coppenhall Hayes. Otherwise these fields
which are now Queens Park would have been lost in
providing the Crewe to Chester line.
However, because a different route was chosen, work was
able to commence in 1882 on this "Victorian" Park, being
designed by Francis William Webb and Edward Kemp. They
enlisted the expertise of George Latimer, a forester by
trade, who would become the first Park Curator (1888 -
1906). He experimented with his forestry knowledge by
planting many different types of trees, which now add
greatly to the charm and attraction of the Park. ; To
enable this Park to be constructed, Webb had used his
influence with the Chairman of the Railway Company (Sir
Richard Moon) to acquire the necessary 50 acres of
Company land and £10,000 to build the Park.
It was anticipated that the Park would be completed in
time for the celebrations of Queen Victoria's Jubilee
and Crewe's own Jubilee celebration. On 4th July 1887,
exactly 50 years after the first train had stopped at
Crewe, there was great rejoicing in the town to
commemorate Queen Victoria's 50 years, especially at the
dedication of Queens Park.
The actual opening ceremony would take place 12 months
later by HRH The Duke of Cambridge KG on Saturday 9th
June 1888. For this ceremony, as well as the Duke of
Cambridge, there were Sir Richard Moon, Francis William
j Webb, Frederick Cook (Town Clerk), many other
dignitaries and the driver of the first train into
Crewe, James Middleton.
It has been rumoured over the years that the LNWR
Company gave the land to stop the GWR Company building a
station in the area. This is very hard to establish all
one can say is the nearest GWR line is over two miles
away at Shavineton and why build a line over a mile from
the centre of Crewe? The one thing that is for sure is
that in the Director's Minute Book of the LNWR for 1886,
it refers to this area being given for the use of a
public park. I suppose some things we will never know.
The only certain thing is that in Sir Richard Moon's
dedication speech in giving the Park to the people of
Crewe, he said "that he hoped that the Park would bring
pleasure and happiness to the community for generations
to come". That I feel without any doubt has been
achieved.
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.
The Park Lodges
On either side of the gates are the two lodges built
1887'8 by John Brooke They are
constructed in Stone and timber' the stone being of red
sandstone, extracted from railway
cutting that go down Lime St Station Liverpool. The
inscription at first floor level on both lodges
commemorate both the dedication and opening ceremonies.
Both lodges are buildings of special architectural and
historical interest therefore they are both Grade 2
listed buildings.
Not an identical pair, the West Lodge has a Bell Tower
and was for use by the chief foreman in charge of the
gardeners. Whilst the East Lodge was built for the
Park's Curator. Incidentally, there have only been four
Park Curators in the Park's history. The four curators
are>
Ceorge Latimer 1888 - 1906
Lawrence Morgan 1906 -1935
Herbert Probert 1935 -1960
Colin Farmer 1960 -1984
(After 1984 the system was changed, with the park being
looked after under a different
scheme).
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 to 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 Jubilee Clock
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.
Clearly it can be seen within the ornate sandstone and
the faces of Queen Victoria (facing
north), the Duke of Cambridge (facing south), Sir
Richard Moon (facing east, towards the
Curator's Lodge which contains his pun) and Francis
William Webb (facing west towards the Lodge with his pun
upon it). At the rear of the clock is a cast iron plaque
explaining how the clock tower was donated by the
employees of the Company and unveiled by James Middlelon.
Middleton was given this honour for fifty years service
to the Company, quite an impressive achievement. Even
more impressive when its realized that Middleton was the
driver of the first train that stopped at Crewe on the
4th July 1837.
The South African
Memorial
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.
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 modem structure along with the bandstand was built
to replace the Victorian Pavilion which unfortunately
had burnt down. The front page of Crewe Chronicle told
the sorry tale about the original Pavilion on Thursday
4th January 1973 with the following report. A Senior
Fire Officer told the Chronicle that possibly an
electrical fault was the cause of the fire, early on
Friday morning, 29th December 1972, that had destroyed
the Park Pavilion.
To make matters worse, it seems that water mains had
been fractured by frost and, although firemen pumped
water from the lake, it was to no avail and by the grey
light of dawn very little was left of the 1887 Pavilion.
The Fossilized Tree
At the rear of the Cafeteria where the two paths combine
with the main path, overlooking the lake, a fossilized
tree can be found. It is said that this tree dates back
to the Devonian
period, some 320 million years ago. It is reputed to be
the remains of a tulip tree, a
Lepidodendron, turned to stone through fossilisation.
This fossilized tree being given to the Park by John
Knott when he was Mayor of Crewe in 1888/9.
The 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.
For just about 30 years the river flowed through the
lake creating, I hasten to add, a few problems. The
river over these early years brought many tons of silt,
making problems along the banks of the lake. By 1913,
the decision to culvert the river trying to alleviate
these troubles was taken, so from that date the river
flowed underneath the lake.
The Lake loses water on a regular basis through
evaporation and leakage. Therefore, what better method
is there than using the river to refill it. A wormscrew
made in Crewe Works back 1913, still in constant use,
enables that to happen. The River Waldron by the use of
sluice gates can be diverted to refill the lake.
One of the benefits that culverting achieved was that
the Lake became cleaner, resulting in it being used by
locals for swimming. In fact the west side of the lake
was deepened to ten foot. This enabled diving boards to
be constructed which were in constant use until their
removal in 1936.
Burma Star Island
In 1968 an island in the middle of the lake, accessible
by two bridges, was extensively relandscaped and had new
paths and seating positioned. Then on the 26th May 1968
at a service conducted by the Lord Bishop of Chester,
the Rt Rev G A Ellison DD, the island was dedicated as a
permanent Memorial to the Allied Forces who fought in
the Burma Campaign during World War 2. The Memorial
Stone, brought from excavations at ICI Works Runcorn,
has the famous Kohima epitath:-
"
When you go home tell them of us and say for their
tomorrow we gave our today".
The Dedication Service was attended by over 30,000
people with many overseas visitors. An American Air
Force Band, flown in especially from Germany, led a
large military presence from many Countries.
History of the Trees
It is reputed that there are only five trees to remind
everyone of the hedgerows from the fields of the
original farmlands of over a hundred years ago. They are
of course all Oak, three are by the play area, whilst two
more are near the Aviary. Most of the trees within the
Park have been planted under the guidance of the four
Park Curators. Obviously many were planted when the Park
was First being created, for instance, the giant
Atlantic Cedars. Many of the trees which have been
planted by successive Curators over the last 40 or 50
years are now reaching maturity, so its these people to
thank for such a remarkable array of trees within the
Park.
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 to 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.
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 eventually called Coronation Walk
in 1937.
Along the path a visit to the Aviary is a must.
Originally built in 1937 through the efforts
of Councillor Mrs Mossford Powell (incidentally, Mrs
Mossford Powell lived at Coppenhall
Hayes, on the spot where Station House now stands in
Victoria Avenue). The first boathouse was being pulled
down in 1937 so she donated money to enable it to be
converted into the first Aviary.
A large stone that stands by the Aviary is the oldest
piece of history in Crewe. It originates
from the first glacial age and goes back some 500
million years. It is a piece of Aberdeen
granite and was washed down in that period of time. It
was discovered when the Foundations for part of the
original Company Works was being excavated.
I hope this Heritage Walk around Queens Park has enabled
everyone to appreciate many of the hidden charms of this
superb Park. It has been said in the past and I don't
mind repeating it,
"This Park is without doubt the Jewel in the Crown".
