Wicksteed Park wants your memories of iconic Captain's Lounge

The garden room is being restored to its former glory
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An appeal has been issued for people’s memories of an iconic part of Wicksteed Park ahead of it being reopened to the public for the first time in decades.

The Garden Room tearoom, which was later renamed the Captain’s Lounge, offers stunning views across the park from the top of its famous Edwardian Pavilion.

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It was closed in the 1980s due to the cost of carrying out repairs but is now being restored to its former glory as part of the park’s @play heritage project, supported by a grant of £1.89m from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

What memories do you have of the Garden Room/Captain's LoungeWhat memories do you have of the Garden Room/Captain's Lounge
What memories do you have of the Garden Room/Captain's Lounge

Wicksteed Park community and heritage manager Tracey Clarke said: “The Garden Room, which later became the Captain’s Lounge, was a wonderful place where you could look out over the park, but it sadly closed to the public in the 1980s.

“Now, with the heritage of the park very much at the forefront of our thoughts, we would be delighted to hear people’s memories and see any photos that they might have of this lovely room, which has now been restored in beautiful fashion.

“We are looking to further build the park’s archive and are asking people to look in their cupboards, lofts or mobile downloads for images and memorabilia associated with the Garden Room and any other parts of the park.”

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The park is appealing for people to come forward with their Garden Room recollections and is trying to find the oldest surviving visitor so that they can share their memories of the popular meeting place.

The room hosted many fine dinnersThe room hosted many fine dinners
The room hosted many fine dinners

People with a special connection to the Garden Room will be invited to its grand reopening, the date of which is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Any pictures which people share will be used as part of the park’s 100days, 100images, 100years project, which is sharing a daily image of photos and memorabilia from May to September to commemorate the park’s centenary year.

Anne Jenkins from the National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “We are delighted to support this project, which thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, will mean that more people will be able to get involved with, protect, and learn about the exciting heritage right on their doorstep.”

To share and help build the archive contact Tracey Clarke, community and heritage manager by emailing [email protected].

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