South Park Bowling greens.

[Lmcc]

We're doing a heritage project on what Friends of South Park community garden was previously. It was a bowling green. (Prior to that i believe football pitches or sandy wasteland.?) I understand there was air-raid shelters there and maybe a park keepers hut. If anyone has any photographs or memories of when the bowling greens were in their prime please please share. Thank you

[filsgreen]

Come on, Matt, it's your area. I hope you're keeping well.

[Lmcc]

I thought tehre would be loads of memories from folks on here? We have been to Crosby library archives too and there are no photos, nor info about the greens. Mystery? Can anyone help?

[Matt]

I lived from 1947 until 1960 (born1942) opposite the bottom of the 3 bowling greens in the South Park about 35 meters away.The 2 top greens where were the really good bowlers played the bottom green was for people either just learning or just come out of the pub.
I lived in South Park Way prefabs and South Park Square was behind our place.
The 2 top bowling greens (closest to Hawthorne rd)were in excellent shape and my dad still used the top green when he came home on leave even when they were demolishing the whole prefab estate in around 1961
Have to continue later on in a few days.Computer must be a female one.It has a mind of its own as what it wants to do.
Matt Wethered

[Matt]

South Park continued.
There was a road through the park that started from the junction of Miranda rd and Wadham rd.It went passed the entrance to Bootle Cricket Club in front of the 8 prefabs that made up South Park Way,we lived in #13 right opposite to the third bowling Green and the next tolast prefab.Then there was a small barrier type gate and the playground part of the park started on the right hand side of the road.The left side was a large area where the air raid shelters were built.They happened to be all underground with large fresh air vents about every 10 meters apart.It took quite a few years before they were demolished because they were constructed so well the underground part explosiveshad to be used.The road through the park continued on until a huge wrought-iron let you onto Balliol rd.The park keepers had a single story buildi g close to Balliol rd but in the playground part of the park a d quite honestly they were the some of the most miserable SOBS you have ever met.One of them used to stride around with sergeants swagger cane under his arm.He literally dragged me home one day for goodness knows what reason.My dad answered the front door as he was home on leave from the RAF but he was in full uniform and was a flight lieutenant just before his medical discharge. This park keeper snapped to attention and saluted him and told my dad that if he had known I was the son of a serving officer in the air force everything would have been alright
Now I have my computer up and running CORRECTLY if you need any more information just let me know.
Matt Wethered

[Lmcc]

Wow Matthew thank you this is just the kind of information we are looking for! Do you have nay photos by any chance? Do you remember any buildings or structures by bowling green 2 which is the one our garden is now on?

[Matt]

The only building on Bowling Green # 2 was a type of long wooden hut where you could rent bowls and with a bit of luck and your size a pair of flat soled shoes and if the greens keeper knew you maybe a cup of tea.No other buildings in the park except for about 80 prefabs and a run down gazebo just before the playground but we did have a large paddling pool and a public toilet that was attached to the park keepers building .The greens at one time had wrought-iron railings separating them from each other but they were all cut off for the metal war effort as we're all the railings from the end of the cricket club all the way down the park side of Wadham rd.Forgot to say all the greens were crown greens and G..d help if any kids were caught playing on them.Sorry no photos I was too busy playing on the swings and monkey bars
Matt

[ken]

Matt,
Please find ( I hope) a picture I got from my aunty many, many years ago. One of my great grandmas is on it. There is nothing written on the back so I don't know where or when it was taken. But you mention a wooden structure and this I think is wooden. There's also grass in front of it, This great grandma lived for a long time in Roby St which is nearish to South Park. So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it was still there when you went there some 40 odd years later and that you can tell me it is South Park. If so then everybody's happy including the original poster. Looks like a somewhat posh christening do.

Ken

[Matt]

Merci Ken,you know the structure of that small pavilion looks quite familiar but it looks so nice and new.Whenever I sneaked into that green or when my dad was bowling and I went to watch him that building was very run down and the beautiful porch was very weather beaten.Thanks for the photo I am sure the group asking about the South Park will be very happy to see it.
Matt

[Ernie Jackson. (Bunty)]

Sorry no photos but lots of memories.
We walked past the bowling greens on the way to and from school but there was a high hedge so I only ever heard the clicks of the bowls. Our footie pitch was taken over for the prefabs on the Wadham Road side.
We spent overnight in the shelters during the air raids with hundreds of others and most had already claimed their 'pitches' by leaving their bedding earlier.
In the day times it was a 'dare' to jump across the wide entrances and we never even thought of the danger of falling short and landing on the concrete walls.

[Lmcc]

wow, Ken Matt and Ernie, Thank you so much these memories and photos are FANTASTIC!. just what I was hoping for. They might also jog the memories of others. Thank you again. Liz