Type Urban Park Created 1927 (1927) | Nearest city Bradford Status open all year round | |
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Location Oakworth, West Yorkshire Operated by City of Bradford, Parks and Landscape Services Address Oakworth, Keighley BD22 7JE, UK Hours Open today · Open 24 hoursMondayOpen 24 hoursTuesdayOpen 24 hoursWednesdayOpen 24 hoursThursdayOpen 24 hoursFridayOpen 24 hoursSaturdayOpen 24 hoursSundayOpen 24 hours Similar Lund's Tower, Rogart railway station, Oakwood Hall, Oakworth Hall, St Patrick's Church - Bradford | ||
Holden park mountain biking june 13
Holden Park is the only park in the village of Oakworth, West Yorkshire, England. The park is also known locally as Oakworth Park.
Contents
Holden park 2
History
The park was the former grounds of Sir Isaac Holden's house (Oakworth House) and garden. Oakworth house was a large Italianate villa built from 1864-1874 by architect George Smith at a cost of £80,000 for Sir Isaac Holden. The house replaced a smaller house on the site built by Joseph Sugden. In 1907, ten years after Sir Isaac's death in 1897, the house was partially destroyed in a fire and was demolished.
Holden Park was opened by Francis Illingworth in 1925 and in 1927 was given to the people of Oakworth by the family of Sir Isaac Holden.
The stone portico to the house remains to this day but the glasshouses or winter gardens have been removed and all that remains of the winter gardens are the caves and grotto created by Holden. A bowls or bowling green was constructed on the site of the house.
In April 2004 the Friends of Holden Park group was formed, consisting mostly of local people with the aim of preserving and protecting the remaining features of the park with support from the local community. In 2011 the summerhouse, known locally as the 'bear house' was restored by The Friends of Holden Park with monies from CNet's grassroots fund. In 2012 a new blue plaque to Sir Isaac Holden was unveilled on the portico by Sir Paul Holden (Bart.)—Sir Isaac's great grandson at a fun day to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee.
Landmarks
The park contains the local war memorial, a stone portico entrance—the only surviving remnant of Oakworth House; and Holden's summer house, made from a steel framework and hypertufa shaped to look like wooden branches. Past the grottoes and caves there is a large grassed area that used to be the vegetable garden for the house and was later a putting green, and above this are the woods, with many paths originally laid out by Holden.