Description
Children play at Marsh Fold Lane Playground. The area has changed a lot since the photograph was taken, and most of the terraced housing has been replaced.
Marsh Fold Lane Playground By Humphrey Spender - September 23rd 1937
- Copyright Bolton Council
- Image ref. 1993.83.01.21
- Print ref. 1993.2.116
- Page author:
I remember this park, I used to live on Clarke street during the 90’s when I was a kid (it looked a lot different then as well compared to this photo). Being kids, my friends and I from the area at the time always referred to Victory Street Park (about 1 min walk away from this photos location) as ‘Top Park’, and Marsh Fold Lane Park as ‘Bottom Park’ due to Clarke street being on a gradient. It was when I was a child a nice small park, it had quite a large slide (which you had to use the remains of an old tree stump to get up the slide) monkey bars, swings, a small round about and climbing bars shaped as people in different posses. It is quite sad now when I see it, as everything has now been removed, only the rubber type floor (to stop kids hurting themselves) remains and the whole play ground is slowly beginning to be reclaimed by plants and weeds.
Thanks for this photo, it’s good to see what it once looked like before even my time. It’s sad to see it now.
That’s a nice recollection, thank you Nitesh.
I used to call this ‘bottom park too! I grew up on Musgrave Rd. Its very sad to see how the park has been left to decline…
My first house as a child was 38 Horatio St second from top in 1948 I remember playing on the park messing about in muddy puddles we used to wax the slide with wax rings from the mill and wiz down at speed later, their were two or three Bonfires in the back street on nov 5th , we played on the Top field and made a hole in the fence to the mill lodges and fished for carp and sticklbacks and pinged them off with air rifles, the houses were small inside early on I remember cockroaches black ones from the cotton, we had the first TV in the street all the kids came in to watch the first program Robin Hood, so many memories it was a vibrant place full of character the photo blew my mind I live in the Lake District now its not to different in Ulverston,i love it so
@Neil Tunnah, I am currently researching my mother’s family who used to live at number 36 Horatio St. They were the Hardman family and we know some of them were at that address in the late 1930s. By any chance, do you remember if anyone by the name of Hardman was still living there while you were at number 38? If you remember any details, please could you describe what the interior of your house or any other houses on Horatio Street? Thank you!