The Postcard
A postally unused Wrench Series postcard that was published prior to June 1918.
Part of a recipient's name and address has been written on the divided back of the card:
Mrs. Humphries,
10, Arthur Street.
There was also a message:
"'Eversleigh',
West Park Street,
Dewsbury.
Dear Friend,
I hope you have not
forgotten to send me
a photo as promised.
Also more jam.
Your friend,
E. L."
Crow Nest Park
The Crow Nest estate, which had belonged to the Hague family of Dewsbury, was purchased by the old Dewsbury council for the sum of £20,000 in 1893. They then spent a further £10,000 on laying it out as a public park.
There was once a serious possibility that the council would fill in the lake because it was leaking, and costing too much to maintain. There was a plan afoot in the 1920's to get rid of it and replace it with a lavish rose garden.
It might have seemed a speedy solution to the problem at the time but the public weren’t having any of it. The public won the argument when they pointed out that a rose garden would only provide pleasure for a few months of the year, whereas a lake provided pleasure all year round.
Accordingly within weeks of deciding to fill in the lake, the council changed their mind and decided instead to spend thousands of pounds on re-lining it. It was that kind of common sense that won the day and the lake was saved for posterity.
Although the lake has always been a beloved spot for most park visitors, it wasn’t always so. Indeed, there were many who never wanted the lake to be positioned there in the fist place.
When the park was first opened in 1893, an editorial in the Reporter pointed out that it was regrettable that the lake had been placed in front of the park mansion.
The writer felt there should have been lawns and flowerbeds there instead of a lake. He said:
“The public consider it a mistake to
place the lake there, however, there
they are and are being made the
best of.”
It didn’t help the popularity of the lake on opening day when the cascading fountain, positioned in the centre of the lake, wasn’t working because there was a drought.
The extent of the park when it came into the ownership of the council was 74 acres – one acre for every 400 inhabitants – which made it much larger than parks in towns of a similar size to Dewsbury.
The Mayor of Dewsbury, Alderman Pyrah, who performed the opening ceremony, said Crow Nest Park compared very favourably indeed, even with towns very much larger.
He added:
“I shall now unlock and open the gates,
and as Mayor and chief magistrate of this
borough I have very great pleasure in
declaring the park open with the hope
and with the prayer that it may very much
add to the health of the borough and
lighten the weariness of toil.”
The same year as the park was opened, it played host to the Great Yorkshire Show which attracted thousands of visitors to the park.
A great deal has been written over the years about the splendour of Crow Nest Park, but less has been said of the park’s biggest attraction – Dewsbury Museum.
The museum was situated in what was the home of the Hague family from 1798 until 1993.
The history of Crow Nest Mansion, which now houses the museum, is almost as interesting as the fascinating objects now on display.
Records show that Crow Nest Mansion and surrounding estates were owned by the Bedford family, of Dewsbury, as early as 1571, but came into the hands of the Hague family in 1798.
At the time of the sale to the council in 1893, the whole of the top storey of the mansion, later to be called the Park Mansion, was in the possession of a detachment of Dragoon Guards sent to Dewsbury to preserve order.
The council later allowed the basement to be prepared for the sale of refreshments. Later many people were to hold family functions, weddings and socials in the popular Park Mansion.
By 1897, Dewsbury Museum was, like most museums, reflecting the Victorian desire to collect the weird and wonderful. Two rooms had been opened and were displaying Egyptian and Ethnographic artefacts and natural history specimens.
At the beginning of the 20th. century, local history was low priority, but a great deal of energy and enthusiasm was poured into collecting Egyptian artefacts.
The museum trustees even became members of the Egyptian Exploration Society and their Egyptology collections were amongst the best held by a small provincial museum.
In 1937, Dr W Down, history master at Wheelwright Boys’ Grammar School, took the post of honorary curator and the museum began to cater for local interests.
In 1975 the museum was threatened with closure because of falling numbers of visitors. However the museum increased in popularity, and attracted thousands of visitors a year, especially children. It was a living museum, bursting with real life stories.
The museum sadly closed in November 2016.
